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The Hidden History of Big Brother in America: How the Death of Privacy and the Rise of Surveillance Threaten Us and Our Democracy: The Thom Hartmann Hidden History, Book 7
America’s most popular progressive radio host and New York Times best-selling author Thom Hartmann reveals how the government and corporate America misuse our personal data and shows how we can reclaim our privacy.
Most Americans are worried about how companies like Facebook invade their privacy and harvest their data, but many people don’t fully understand the details of how their information is being adapted and misused. In this thought-provoking and accessible audiobook, Thom Hartmann reveals exactly how the government and corporations are tracking our every online move and using our data to buy elections, employ social control, and monetize our lives.
Hartmann uses extensive, vivid examples to highlight the consequences of Big Data on all aspects of our lives. He traces the history of surveillance and social control, looking back to how Big Brother invented whiteness to keep order and how surveillance began to be employed as a way to modify behavior. As he states, “The goal of those who violate privacy and use surveillance is almost always social control and behavior modification”.
Along with covering the history, Hartmann shows how we got to where we are today, how China - with its new Social Credit System - serves as a warning, and how we can and must avoid a similarly dystopian future. By delving into the Constitutional right to privacy, Hartmann reminds us of our civil right and shows how we can restore it.
Most Americans are worried about how companies like Facebook invade their privacy and harvest their data, but many people don’t fully understand the details of how their information is being adapted and misused. In this thought-provoking and accessible audiobook, Thom Hartmann reveals exactly how the government and corporations are tracking our every online move and using our data to buy elections, employ social control, and monetize our lives.
Hartmann uses extensive, vivid examples to highlight the consequences of Big Data on all aspects of our lives. He traces the history of surveillance and social control, looking back to how Big Brother invented whiteness to keep order and how surveillance began to be employed as a way to modify behavior. As he states, “The goal of those who violate privacy and use surveillance is almost always social control and behavior modification”.
Along with covering the history, Hartmann shows how we got to where we are today, how China - with its new Social Credit System - serves as a warning, and how we can and must avoid a similarly dystopian future. By delving into the Constitutional right to privacy, Hartmann reminds us of our civil right and shows how we can restore it.
Audible Audio
Published February 9, 2022
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About the author
Thom Hartmann
91 books378 followersThomas Carl Hartmann is an American radio personality, author, businessman, and progressive political commentator. Hartmann has been hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, The Thom Hartmann Program, since 2003 and hosted a nightly television show, The Big Picture, between 2010 and 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 30, 2025
2.5*
Definitely written from the left side but not over the top. As a conservative, I felt that this was a worthwhile read from a different viewpoint. And of course, regardless toward which side you lean, it's painfully obvious that Big Brother truly is--and has been--watching.
Following are a few thoughts / notes I wrote down while reading. Enjoy! 😊
A thought occurs to me as I'm reading...individuals don't have a constitutionally-protected right to privacy ... but companies do! Their data-gathering approaches and algorithms for determining an individual's profitability are considered trade secrets and are, therefore, protected. This gives these companies--and anyone who buys their data!--an awful lot of information about us. And unless you go completely off the grid (is that even possible?!), I'm not sure how you could possibly avoid it either. But make no mistake, it's not just the US government who is using data about us. "...spy and police agencies from governments all over the world routinely purchase data on their citizens...or the citizens of other countries they'd like to influence" (p. 61).
Intriguing thought: "...if you don't have to pay for an online product, *you are* the product..." (pp. 60, 124). Reminds me of Facebook, who proudly advertises that it's free and always will be. (At least, I assume they still say this. I logged out of FB many years ago and never returned...and I have to say, I'm all the happier without it!)
We change when we're watched. This is known as the observer effect. It applies in physics too; I believe this is where we get the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Interestingly, even self-awareness creates an observer effect. In a 1979 study, researchers placed a mirror behind a candy bowl, which "decreased transgression rates" among the children being studied. Interesting! Maybe I'll add this in to my weight loss regime lol.
Good point that the way companies like Google and Facebook are using our data these days is no different than traditional marketing. Only thing is, it's much faster and more accurate in these digital days.
BTW, Hartmann: evolution *is* a myth. (p. 102) Darwin himself recanted his belief therein. But most important, Genesis 1:1 says: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
Definitely written from the left side but not over the top. As a conservative, I felt that this was a worthwhile read from a different viewpoint. And of course, regardless toward which side you lean, it's painfully obvious that Big Brother truly is--and has been--watching.
Following are a few thoughts / notes I wrote down while reading. Enjoy! 😊
A thought occurs to me as I'm reading...individuals don't have a constitutionally-protected right to privacy ... but companies do! Their data-gathering approaches and algorithms for determining an individual's profitability are considered trade secrets and are, therefore, protected. This gives these companies--and anyone who buys their data!--an awful lot of information about us. And unless you go completely off the grid (is that even possible?!), I'm not sure how you could possibly avoid it either. But make no mistake, it's not just the US government who is using data about us. "...spy and police agencies from governments all over the world routinely purchase data on their citizens...or the citizens of other countries they'd like to influence" (p. 61).
Intriguing thought: "...if you don't have to pay for an online product, *you are* the product..." (pp. 60, 124). Reminds me of Facebook, who proudly advertises that it's free and always will be. (At least, I assume they still say this. I logged out of FB many years ago and never returned...and I have to say, I'm all the happier without it!)
We change when we're watched. This is known as the observer effect. It applies in physics too; I believe this is where we get the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Interestingly, even self-awareness creates an observer effect. In a 1979 study, researchers placed a mirror behind a candy bowl, which "decreased transgression rates" among the children being studied. Interesting! Maybe I'll add this in to my weight loss regime lol.
Good point that the way companies like Google and Facebook are using our data these days is no different than traditional marketing. Only thing is, it's much faster and more accurate in these digital days.
BTW, Hartmann: evolution *is* a myth. (p. 102) Darwin himself recanted his belief therein. But most important, Genesis 1:1 says: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
January 30, 2022
As a professional software developer and researcher, I have mixed reactions towards this book. On the one hand, it points out very valid concerns and complaints about how Internet technologies intersect with contemporary society, particularly with the political classes. On the other, I found myself repeating over and over to myself, “But that’s just how technology works!” As such, this book is a good conversation starter for an issue that needs broad discussion in America. However, as a source of potential cures, it falls short of even getting the diagnosis precise.
Written by a progressive radio host, this book is aimed towards progressives. It routinely takes shots at those on the right (even though it does agree with the validity of some complaints about Big Brother coming from conservatives). It makes the case that Big Data companies (Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc.) need some kind of social accountability. The seeming big event which demonstrated this need was the election of Trump in 2016. It mentions a host of other, more minor events showing abuses on individual privacy. To a software developer, that case seems underwhelming. Just because a technology is involved does not mean that it is to blame. Human agency and reactions to technologies are much more important topics to study.
Yes, contemporary technologies collect a lot of data about us. Yes, they can be used towards dangerous ends (like authoritarianism). The public needs a much higher degree of computer literacy in order to understand algorithmic transparency, though, algorithms that rapidly and continually change over time. I’m more surprised by how little technology and data collection have been abused thus far and how well self-regulation is actually working. Hartmann seems like a typical member of the public who just now is waking up to the growth of software that has been happening since the 1980s. He frankly needs to learn more about how software is developed before suggesting helpful regulations.
Hartmann’s basic point, however, that widespread discussions about the role of the Internet and data collection in private lives is way overdue. In particular, cleaner, more transparent avenues to consent for data collection are needed, more in line with how consent is obtained for biomedical research. Also, using a concept from the European Union, one should have the right to be left alone if desired. I’m an “early adopter” of technology. As such, I’m willing to take risks with privacy and new technology in order to enhance the eventual outcome for the group. Not every (most?) do not follow that ethic, and that perspective needs to be respected by software’s design itself. This book, for all its fretting about Big Data, seems to lack that level of diagnostic precision – a major shortcoming in an otherwise promising topic.
Written by a progressive radio host, this book is aimed towards progressives. It routinely takes shots at those on the right (even though it does agree with the validity of some complaints about Big Brother coming from conservatives). It makes the case that Big Data companies (Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc.) need some kind of social accountability. The seeming big event which demonstrated this need was the election of Trump in 2016. It mentions a host of other, more minor events showing abuses on individual privacy. To a software developer, that case seems underwhelming. Just because a technology is involved does not mean that it is to blame. Human agency and reactions to technologies are much more important topics to study.
Yes, contemporary technologies collect a lot of data about us. Yes, they can be used towards dangerous ends (like authoritarianism). The public needs a much higher degree of computer literacy in order to understand algorithmic transparency, though, algorithms that rapidly and continually change over time. I’m more surprised by how little technology and data collection have been abused thus far and how well self-regulation is actually working. Hartmann seems like a typical member of the public who just now is waking up to the growth of software that has been happening since the 1980s. He frankly needs to learn more about how software is developed before suggesting helpful regulations.
Hartmann’s basic point, however, that widespread discussions about the role of the Internet and data collection in private lives is way overdue. In particular, cleaner, more transparent avenues to consent for data collection are needed, more in line with how consent is obtained for biomedical research. Also, using a concept from the European Union, one should have the right to be left alone if desired. I’m an “early adopter” of technology. As such, I’m willing to take risks with privacy and new technology in order to enhance the eventual outcome for the group. Not every (most?) do not follow that ethic, and that perspective needs to be respected by software’s design itself. This book, for all its fretting about Big Data, seems to lack that level of diagnostic precision – a major shortcoming in an otherwise promising topic.
March 7, 2022
This is the first book I have read from Thom Hartmann and I am hooked and want to read more of his books because The Hidden History of Big Brother in America was on point. It is a warning of not what can come but what is happening currently, and I think A.I. will add to this Big Brother in America concerns. The information is interesting, alarming, and makes you aware of the times that we live in and how important checking the policies being voted on by the officials we vote into an office can be. I have already told at least three people to check out this book because it is very well written and I will continue to recommend it because it's that good.
June 25, 2025
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: America's most popular progressive radio host Thom Hartmann reveals how the government and corporate America misuse our personal data and shows how we can reclaim our privacy.
Most Americans are worried about how companies like Facebook invade their privacy and harvest their data, but many people don't fully understand the details of how their information is being adapted and misused. In this thought-provoking and accessible book, New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann reveals exactly how the government and corporations are tracking our every online move and using our data to buy elections, employ social control, and score and monetize our lives.
Hartmann uses extensive, vivid examples to highlight the consequences of Big Data on all aspects of our lives. Along with tracing the history of surveillance, he shows how we got to where we are today, how China—with its new Social Credit System—serves as a warning, and how we can and must avoid a similarly dystopian future.
By delving into the Constitutional right to privacy, Hartmann reminds us of our civil right and shows how we can restore it.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Not updated yet, I'll be very interested to see what Hartmann has to say about the extreme, upsetting effects of AI on the Body Politic.
While we are indeed starting to engage with the most important factor in this outdated screed against the Felonious Yam and his tech bro scum support/enablers, ie who's doing what with our deepest darkest secrets, it could really be much too late to do anything effective about it. Look at the *massive* data theft done by DOGE on behalf of Edolph Twitler. Why is no one in Congress screeching their fool lungs out about this?
Because, like Hartmann, they do not understand what the problem really is: Us. The userbase wants Big Data to store credit card numbers, passwords...16 billion of which were compromised on 18 June 2025 alone...so we don't have to think. Big Data will use its enormous database, its stunningly effective analytic software, and all the cash we've allowed it to pile up, to defeat any attempts to meaningfully deny it more and more and more data.
This is not to say we should not try. We should, starting right now.
Getting mad is the first stop on this train, so read this book and steam your way to Congress's inbox.
The Publisher Says: America's most popular progressive radio host Thom Hartmann reveals how the government and corporate America misuse our personal data and shows how we can reclaim our privacy.
Most Americans are worried about how companies like Facebook invade their privacy and harvest their data, but many people don't fully understand the details of how their information is being adapted and misused. In this thought-provoking and accessible book, New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann reveals exactly how the government and corporations are tracking our every online move and using our data to buy elections, employ social control, and score and monetize our lives.
Hartmann uses extensive, vivid examples to highlight the consequences of Big Data on all aspects of our lives. Along with tracing the history of surveillance, he shows how we got to where we are today, how China—with its new Social Credit System—serves as a warning, and how we can and must avoid a similarly dystopian future.
By delving into the Constitutional right to privacy, Hartmann reminds us of our civil right and shows how we can restore it.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Not updated yet, I'll be very interested to see what Hartmann has to say about the extreme, upsetting effects of AI on the Body Politic.
While we are indeed starting to engage with the most important factor in this outdated screed against the Felonious Yam and his tech bro scum support/enablers, ie who's doing what with our deepest darkest secrets, it could really be much too late to do anything effective about it. Look at the *massive* data theft done by DOGE on behalf of Edolph Twitler. Why is no one in Congress screeching their fool lungs out about this?
Because, like Hartmann, they do not understand what the problem really is: Us. The userbase wants Big Data to store credit card numbers, passwords...16 billion of which were compromised on 18 June 2025 alone...so we don't have to think. Big Data will use its enormous database, its stunningly effective analytic software, and all the cash we've allowed it to pile up, to defeat any attempts to meaningfully deny it more and more and more data.
This is not to say we should not try. We should, starting right now.
Getting mad is the first stop on this train, so read this book and steam your way to Congress's inbox.
Read
February 15, 2022BIG BROTHER is NOT "threatening" the "democracy". BIG BROTHER [IS] THE DEMOCRACY!!! THAT'S THE PROBLEM!
USA CONSTITUTION, Article IV, Section 4:
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government (REPUBLIC = Constitutional PROTECTIONS), and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. (DEMOCRACY = 51% OVERRULE the 49%) FACTS!!!
The [REPUBLIC] constitution 4th amendment PROTECTS against "Big Brother". HOWEVER, the [DEMOCRACY] of "the people" (majority vote wins) can & DO vote THEIR FREEDOMS AWAY under the guise of PROTECTION when in fact they're ALREADY PROTECTED! It's a FACT that MAJORITY of "THE PEOPLE" have the LESSER intellect.
USA CONSTITUTION, Article IV, Section 4:
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government (REPUBLIC = Constitutional PROTECTIONS), and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. (DEMOCRACY = 51% OVERRULE the 49%) FACTS!!!
The [REPUBLIC] constitution 4th amendment PROTECTS against "Big Brother". HOWEVER, the [DEMOCRACY] of "the people" (majority vote wins) can & DO vote THEIR FREEDOMS AWAY under the guise of PROTECTION when in fact they're ALREADY PROTECTED! It's a FACT that MAJORITY of "THE PEOPLE" have the LESSER intellect.
December 10, 2025
Audiobook, read by the author. I'm really enjoying this series of short books by the author about various interconnected subjects, all about 4 hours long. They're information-packed, but not drowning in details. This one was really pretty terrifying, and made me realize that the ways I try to limit my online presence are really inadequate in a nation that does not regulate what big data companies, both commonly-known and more obscure, can do with all the seemingly insignificant little breadcrumbs of data that we leave by merely existing in this data-soaked world. It's especially frightening considering the ways that governments can and do use this data to manage their subjects. Again, this is one I feel I need to go back and physically read, just to soak up more of the information. Highly recommend.
September 10, 2023
The Hidden History of Big Brother in America: How the Death of Privacy and the rise of Surveillance Threaten Us and Our Democracy written by Thom Hartmann, narrated by Sean Pratt – Part of The Hidden History series. Harmann merges his vast knowledge of US history with his marketing experience to explain how our personal data is gathered and being used. Readers will find out how much data companies actually collect on everyone (much more than you think) as well as how they obtain it. Readers will then be shocked to learn how that data is used to drive us to certain behaviors. While not his best work, it is as important as his previous work for Americans to understand how government and big business actually work.
May 7, 2022
I find it ironic that I'm posting a review of this book on social media. If you read the book, you'll understand why.
I found the book to be an easy read, which is good since it was also an enraging read. I was truly angered by much of what I read in it, but not because I think it's inaccurate, but because what's said in it is true.
This is not the first book that I've read by Thom Hartmann, and it also will not be the last.
I found the book to be an easy read, which is good since it was also an enraging read. I was truly angered by much of what I read in it, but not because I think it's inaccurate, but because what's said in it is true.
This is not the first book that I've read by Thom Hartmann, and it also will not be the last.
March 18, 2025
Author lives in a leftist bubble.
This author seems to think everything is the fault of those with conservative political leanings. Some of assertions are simply wrong and easily disproven. He is a typical leftist unable to see past his ideological bias thus the work is contaminated by immature reasoning and conclusions. I recommend only for the comedic value of an example of logic being blunted by TDS.
This author seems to think everything is the fault of those with conservative political leanings. Some of assertions are simply wrong and easily disproven. He is a typical leftist unable to see past his ideological bias thus the work is contaminated by immature reasoning and conclusions. I recommend only for the comedic value of an example of logic being blunted by TDS.
June 18, 2025
Interesting read
Delves deeper in a subject we all know about but the author takes us below the surface to explain how it all came about and why and possibly what can be done today to protect privacy, if it’s not already too late!
Delves deeper in a subject we all know about but the author takes us below the surface to explain how it all came about and why and possibly what can be done today to protect privacy, if it’s not already too late!
January 12, 2026
Anything and everything by Thom is brilliant. He is smartest person I have ever met (met him in 2019).
September 22, 2025
Favorite quotes:
“Conservatives decry critical race theory as an affront to American history, but they’re not really fighting against critical race theory—they’re fighting for control of the past…so they can continue to enforce a white supremacist future.”
Henry Wallace: “With a Fascist the problem is never how to best present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the Fascist and his group more money or more power.”
“Conservatives decry critical race theory as an affront to American history, but they’re not really fighting against critical race theory—they’re fighting for control of the past…so they can continue to enforce a white supremacist future.”
Henry Wallace: “With a Fascist the problem is never how to best present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the Fascist and his group more money or more power.”
February 15, 2022
It was okay. I didn’t really care for it myself. I believe a lot of subjects written about were untrue. I believe instead of trying to get at the truth, the author is writing on his opinions on things and believing the wrong people on these issues. However, on the subject of “Big Brother” , yes, I believe Big Tech is messing with our privacy and freedoms and we should get a say in it, especially if they share our data or put our information online for everyone to see. Thank you to #NetGalley and the producers and the author for the opportunity to read and review #The Hidden History ofBigBrotherinAmerica with my honest thoughts and opinions.
April 10, 2025
Urgent and Timely
Thom Hartmann is bold and courageous to bring to our attention the imminent danger we are in as a consequence of the collaborative relationship between our government and the technological giants to subvert our rights and privacies toward tyranny.
Thom Hartmann is bold and courageous to bring to our attention the imminent danger we are in as a consequence of the collaborative relationship between our government and the technological giants to subvert our rights and privacies toward tyranny.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews