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#DELETED: Big Tech's Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal the Election

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Uncover the hidden systems created by the most powerful tech companies in the world that are determined to stop Donald Trump.
Journalist Allum Bokhari has spent four years investigating the tech giants that dominate the Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter. He has discovered a dark plot to seize control of the flow of information, and utilize that power to its full extent—to censor, manipulate, and ultimately sway the outcome of democratic elections. His network of whistleblowers inside Google, Facebook and other companies explain how the tech giants now see themselves as "good censors," benevolent commissars controlling the information we receive to "protect" us from "dangerous" speech.

They reveal secret methods to covertly manipulate online information without us ever being aware of it, explaining how tech companies can use big data to target undecided voters. They lift the lid on a plot four years in the making—a plot to use the power of technology to stop Donald Trump's re-election.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 22, 2020

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964 people want to read

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Allum Bokhari

5 books13 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Austin.
276 reviews11 followers
February 27, 2021
It's truly frightening how powerful these non-accountable corporations have become. I watch the abuses over the last couple years and I’m astounded by the shit these corporations get away with it. I believe it's time to use our antitrust legislation to break up these monopolies in infospace
Profile Image for Manny.
300 reviews30 followers
October 8, 2020
Fantastic book. I have been a victim of the big tech, social media arm of the left numerous times. Some myopic readers will focus on the "Big Tech's Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal the Election" sub title, which at face value is a valid prejudice, however when you read the book, it will be clear that it is a problem that CAN affect many people including anti-Trump voters.

Reminds me of a poem by Martin Niemöller

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

The book covers how the social media companies have used and more importantly abused the protection from Section 230. However these companies have stifled free speech and continue to do so. Ironically, tons of Trump supporters and cabinet members have been persecuted and in many cases, prosecuted due to perceived "medaling with the election" however the Social Media companies are overtly doing it with impunity.

Bokhari covers the biases in these companies and provides insider whistleblower information backed by subsequent admiral by these media companies. The only reasons they have had to fall on their respective swords has been because it has been blatant and they had no choice. Anyone who has followed me or my reviews knows I am libertarian in my political views. I would normally say, "Start your own company" however after reading this book, it is apparent how that is a futile endeavor. Google can hid you from search results, Apple and Google can block you from their app stores, GoFund Me and payment processors (e.g. Square owned by Jack Dorsey) from allowing you to monetize and or sell product and services.

This is very similar to a book I read about FDR and the tire companies during the Great Depression. The companies got together and essentially said, are we all (3-4 companies) willing pay a "tax" that would ensure that no new competitor could come into the business and disturb our earning. This is essentially what they are doing. Not only that, history showed us the like of John Pierpont Morgan (J.P. Morgan) that lent the US money but then had them in his pocket (e.g. The "Federal" "Reserve"). The non Trump government is beholden to the Social Media Companies.

Not sure what meaningful change can happen with the amount of power being wield by these companies and the corrupt politicians that allow then to operate this way. But one thing is for certain, the new leftist way of operating is impossible to comply with. Traditionally, Women's Groups have been very partisan. You have seen countless examples of this where Sarah Palin, Michelle Backman, Sarah Huckabee, etc have had open season declared on them by the media and leftist and the silence from these groups have been deafening, while merely suggesting that Hillary Clinton looked tired during her campaigning in 2016 , could earn you a label of sexist, misogynists or worse. These Woman's Groups are now at odds with some LGBTQ+ communities, specifically the "trans" sub group (BTW, this group is at odds with many other LGBTQ+ sub groups as well) due to their on Trans Women (That is, biological males who have transitioned or "identify" as women, are competing with biological females identifying as women (Newspeak: sys-gender) for scholarships where there is clearly a physical/strength difference in most cases (Ronda Rousey would hand me my butt in a small package wrapped in a bow in a few seconds for sure). Again with the Trans groups and Lesbians where they are being shunned because they do not want a relationship with a Trans Women simply because of the "equipment" differences between biological sexes. The point is, many today are fine and well with this type of infringement of free speech because it moves the needle for their agenda, until it does not anymore.

Bokhari even explains the notion of your private/public life outside of the various platforms can get you banned for life from them. Imagine the power that a company like Facebook or Google would have that you could be banned from their platforms because of the way you act outside of the platform. This is such a slippery slope. No one should want these companies to have this sort of power.

I recommend this book to all. Do not be put off by the Trump'esqness of it. It just so happens that Trump and his supporters are the current targets. But remember the poem by Martin Niemöller people; tomorrow it may be you.

Profile Image for Amanda.
248 reviews12 followers
November 7, 2020
Absolutely terrifying book that every American should read, despite their political affiliation. The author spoke with multiple employees of Big Tech (Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, etc.) about their blatant agenda to censor information, thereby controlling the message that we (and our children!) see. The studies regarding biases were fascinating because 99% of the study participants had no idea they were viewing biased information in their Google and YouTube searches. These companies use their algorithms to hide/suppress posts by conservatives, while promoting the more liberal posts. Even if I were more left/liberal leaning, I would still be outraged by their blatant disregard for Freedom of Speech. Censorship will be the demise of our great country. Cancel Culture threatens our right to speak our truths, because we now fear backlash from those who disagree. In fact, I second guessed whether or not I should even post this book and my review to my Goodreads account! Isn’t that sad that I can’t express my thoughts openly and freely? Big Tech and the Mainstream Media now have far too much power in this country and it’s frightening. I will never use Google or Wikipedia again to search for information on the internet. Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg are NOT THE ARBITERS OF TRUTH. But they now control the information and have decided that they are. Everyone should be outraged, but unfortunately, most people don’t know they’ve been manipulated by Big Tech.
Profile Image for Cav.
907 reviews206 followers
December 22, 2020
This is an important, timely book that was also very well put together.
Author Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent for Breitbart News. He reports on political bias, censorship, and abuses of power in Silicon Valley, according to his page over at MuckRack.com.

Allum Bokhari :
allumbokhari-480-296-75-c1

The ever-increasing control Big Tech social media companies have over shaping and influencing public discourse, as well as censoring free speech is one of the bigger stories of the last decade or so.
The author drops this quote early-on, describing the current climate, and asks some pressing questions:
"How did companies like Facebook and Google become so important? How did they acquire so much power that even other tech giants, like Twitter, seem small and unthreatening? Wasn’t it less than a decade ago that the mantra of the internet was freedom of speech, freedom of information, and open access for all? Where did those lofty principles go? Are Facebook and Google the whole internet now? And if so, how did it happen?"

Bokhari unfolds the answer to the above questions in the pages here, using case studies that will be familiar to many, as well as empirical data, and a plethora of primary sources. Some of the case studies that may or may not be familiar to the reader covered here are:
*The blocking of r/The_Donald by Reddit.
*The blocking of Gab by Google Pay and Apple iOS stores.
*The mass de-platforming and censorship of Conservative pundits, commentators, authors, and politicians by social media giants like Facebook and Twitter. Laura Loomer, Tommy Robinson, Gavin McGinnis, Paul Joseph Watson, and many others have been removed over dubious accusations of "hate speech".
*The James Damore Google debacle.
*Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington Catholic High School teen.
*The PewDiePie fiasco.
*Left-wing bias and ideological corruption of Twitter, Facebook, and Wikipedia.

There is no greater power than the power to control information. Control the flow of information, and you can control the people. Governments have been using propaganda to guide their populations and further this aim since the advent of printed media. Bokhari mentions that - as a result - many countries have taken great steps to prevent government overreach in public discourse, but no such efforts have been forwarded towards the relatively new tech and social media companies. We are just supposed to take them at their word that they are acting in an impartial and unbiased manner, says Bokhari.
"...We are at a similar moment. The internet has been seized by a handful of all-powerful tech lords who now determine whose voices are heard in the digital public square, whose causes are suppressed and whose are promoted, and whose businesses thrive and fail. Eventually, Silicon Valley will even determine who wins elections and who loses them. This cannot continue—
and only a massive shout from the citizens of America will make Washington take action..."

Although Bokhari is a conservative journalist, the issues raised by this book should be of concern to those on the left side of the political aisle, as well. Because no matter your personal political inclinations, it should not be controversial to object to having a small handful of ideologically-driven people in Silicon Valley determine what is (and what is not) allowed to be discussed by the rest of the world...
Restrictions of speech, blocking of content, de-platforming and de-funding of users, algorithmic rankings and other forms of social control are staunchly illiberal policies, that run contrary to the core ethos of Western Enlightenment values.
Mass censorship should never be the default. Censorship has had an abysmal historical record; being freely employed by some of history's most tyrannical regimes - from Mao Zedong's Communist China, to Josef Stalin's Communist Russia, to Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, among many others.

This is why it is extremely important to allow contrarian voices and dissenters, who serve to act as a counterbalance to this social orthodoxy, and hopefully - help steer the population away from tyranny and authoritarianism.
Author John Stuart Mill writes with great clarity on this in Chapter Two of his famous book On Liberty. I would highly recommend anyone interested and reading this to check it out, if they have not already.
New York University Professor and Heterodox Academy founder Jonathan Haidt has uploaded a free pdf version on that site, which can be found here.

An obvious postscript to this book is that Trump did indeed lose the 2020 election (barring some unlikely deus ex machina after the publishing of this review). Given that almost all those in Big Tech, social media, the broader media class, Hollywood, academia, and the corporate world were opposed to a 2020 Trump victory, this should not be a surprise. Bokhari drops this prophetic quote in the Epilogue:
"Of the 120 million votes cast in 2016, it was just over one hundred thousand votes in three key swing states that carried the election for Trump. Having read this book, do you really think that Big Tech, with its vast deposits of information on all of us, can’t identify exactly who those voters are, what they care about, and how to make them go blue in 2020? The Big Tech companies were caught napping in 2016... They won’t be caught napping again. Nothing less than a titanic, on-the-ground effort from Republican activists will stop them from stealing the election this time. And even that may not be enough..."

The picture painted by the book here is bleak, and I'm not sure how this will all end. Historically speaking, ideological and social contagions don't usually have good endings... I guess we'll all have to wait and see.
This is an incredibly important book that I would recommend to anyone. It was also very well researched, written, and put together.
5 stars.
Profile Image for Lucy.
81 reviews
October 27, 2020
Favorite passage: The internet has been seized by a handful of all-powerful tech lords who now determine whose voices are heard in the digital public square, whose causes are suppressed and whose are promoted, and whose businesses thrive and fail.
Profile Image for booklady.
2,739 reviews181 followers
Want to read
February 23, 2021
Want to read very much! Apparently you aren't supposed to get too hung up on the subtitle because the book is actually about the monopoly of power which the Big Techs have, something which should unsettle everyone no matter what your partisan politics are.
Profile Image for Grant.
623 reviews2 followers
November 24, 2020
Sometimes you need a light read and a laugh, "#Deleted" is the perfect light read that will not only leave you rolling on the floor with laughter but will also leave you with the feeling of being kicked in the head by a horse.

I can't even bring myself to admire the strength of the grift and lies in this book. Told with such hubris, Bokhari spends a good amount of time contradicting himself, playing hide the ball and taking a completely ahistorical view on almost everything covered in his book. Just think about this for one second, he quotes and writes about James O'Keefe and Project Veritas as if it's a bastion of journalistic integrity. Quoting his "investigative journalism" as if it's fact. His description of PragerU as a legit organisation was another highlight whilst the projection about cherry-picking left me dying laughing.

Constantly worried about censorship, Bokhari gives many examples of the numbers of tweets/social posts removed by companies but rarely goes into exactly what the removed posts actually said. I wonder why that is? Is it because some of it was actually bigoted, racist or encouraging violence? Hmmmm, he also loves giving glowing written handjobs when describing people like Andy Ngo, Gavin McInnes and Dennis Prager etc. without actually going into their well known controversies. I nearly fell off my chair when he called the beanie bro, Tim Pool, a "leftist" bernie bro hahaha.

If you read #DELETED and enjoyed it I encourage you to look into the history of Breitbart, James O'Keefe's ACORN shenanigans and Andy Ngo's constant omission of violence caused by right wing nut jobs. Should keep you entertained for hours on end.

Who do I go and see about getting my time back after reading this giant grift piece of toilet paper?
28 reviews
October 24, 2020
Must read

I am a former principal engineer that sold my software company to a international firm. I found this a good read. I wish I was younger.
Profile Image for Jim Dowdell.
195 reviews14 followers
November 20, 2020
You will never use the internet the same after reading #Deleted.
As a white male senior, I have been pushed into the margins of the internet. I have been deleted. I had believed that this was an organic process but now I understand that evil, Machiavellian forces have been attacking me. The reasons, the facts and the history of the internet cabal have been laid bare in this book. Author Allum Bokhari calls the high tech monopolies “most powerful mind control engine ever created”.
The upside of this exposure of Google’s “The Good Censor report of 2018” is that the battle lines have been drawn. All of us Deplorables and Smelly Walmart Shoppers no longer need to take their attacks personally. We know that we are in the fight for freedom and that the mob is winning. But this book has shown a path to victory.
All who are interested and have the courage to fight will read #Deleted and join the real patriots in the war to save Western Civilization.
13 reviews1 follower
November 9, 2020
This book is researched to the nines. Russian collusion by Trump? Yeah right. Google giving you accurate information? Yeah right. If you think you are awake and know how corrupt our democracy is, you don't. This book will take your eye lids and pull them open 2X more and enable you to see way more that you did before. Buy it, Read this book !!!
Profile Image for Shelli.
360 reviews86 followers
um-not-these-authors
August 31, 2020
Ah, now it’s Big Tech’s fault? I wonder, is Big Tech related to the Fake News Media? And what about the Deep State? It’s so hard to keep all of Trump’s enemies straight.
Profile Image for Julian Ajello.
109 reviews8 followers
October 8, 2020
The author states upfront that he's a Trump supporter and biased in that respect.

This book is still something everyone should read. It lays out how Big Tech is censoring and/or suppressing speech by conservatives. Those who disagree or dislike conservatives and conservatism relish this at their own peril. If they can get away with it now, they won't stop and the amount of allowable speech will one day fit on a 3x5 card.

He's making the rounds for podcasts so you can hear what he as to say in an interview before picking up the book.
Profile Image for Kevin Keating.
840 reviews17 followers
June 10, 2021
There was a time during the Spring Uprising that we thought social media was our friend and would help produce democracy throughout the world. That it would circumvent all of the prohibitions on free speech around the world. That it would let the little guy compete with the big guys.

That day is over. Facebook, Google, Twitter, Apple, Microsoft and more have all decided it's better to be king than topple them. And they do it with our acquiescence.

So it's kinda depressing. Our congress and legislatures are bought cheaply by these guys and you won't see reform from that angle.

Not a fun read.
Profile Image for Glenn Franco Simmons.
131 reviews
December 21, 2021
While some of the people, whom this author says have been deleted "deleted" by social-media companies, are repugnant to me, I'm a free-speech advocate. Defeat "bad" speech by more free speech. The conduct described in this book is abhorrent. Americans often feared "Big Brother" would be the government; little did they know it would be tech oligarchs who run their companies with unbelievable conflicts of interest, lies, favoritism and unfairness. If the shoe were on the other foot, I would say the same thing. Only illegal speech (such as threatening violence) should be disallowed, in my opinion.
Profile Image for Terence Gallagher.
Author 4 books1 follower
November 15, 2020
The subtitle doesn't do justice to the scope of this book. While it does cover politics, and the vendetta against Trump particularly, the book also gives in-depth background on Big Tech's program to establish control over all aspects of life. It does an excellent job describing those methods of influence and control even to a non-techie, who may only be half aware of what Facebook, Google, Twitter, Instagram and the rest of them actually do. Bokhari also considers the growing threat to privacy and the implications of tech-driven cancel culture: "Being always watched by an increasingly unforgiving society that never forgets can create a sense of lingering terror that cannot coexist with true liberty."
Profile Image for Yann Roshdy.
37 reviews4 followers
October 29, 2020
Excellent book from a great investigative journalist. One of the only that gives us accounts about what is happening in the world of the big GAFA barons' cartel.

What is happening? An informational takeover. The populists vs the establishment, supported by the GAFAs, the big mass medias and intersectional activists groups.

We're not creating this narrative. The GAFA outlined their strategy in their platform, their norms and their market strategy!
Profile Image for Pastor Greg.
188 reviews20 followers
September 6, 2022
There is a fascist movement made up of woke corporations in bed with "deep state" government agencies built upon the Mussolini model but engaged in a form of "corporate communism" that includes a level of censorship never before seen in the United States of America. No informed, honest person would deny this. But many uninformed and/or dishonest people DO deny it.

That is the foundation for this book. Allum Bokhari documents the communist-styled effort to censor social media (joining with our heavily censored news media, entertainment industry, educational curriculum, etc.) for the purpose of defeating Donald Trump in 2020 and stealing the election by coupling censorship with massive voter fraud (see, "2000 Mules", "Rigged" and "Selection Code" documentaries for more on that.)

This book is very well written (1 star). It presents undeniable evidence and is very thorough (2nd star). I believe the author establishes the claim made in the title (3rd star). The length and overall experience was enjoyable (4th star).

This isn't so extraordinary as to get a fifth star, but anyone with any interest in the truth about the 2020 election should not leave this one off of your reading list.
204 reviews6 followers
March 16, 2021
The United States, history's strongest argument for a representative democracy, is founded on the dual premise of inalienable rights and the pre-eminence of the electorate to the elected. So far, it has worked very well. So well in fact that it's flaws are constantly under attack by the electorate. Try that in China, North Korea, Iran, Cuba. Then enter into the equation, citizen run, mega enterprises that fund the elected so that fear of the electorate evaporates. Read this book to explore the consequences of that union.
Profile Image for Anna Rose McCarthy.
14 reviews
December 12, 2021
I really liked Bokhari's insight into the big tech industry. It pulled the reader behind the curtain to see what really happens in that world. I really liked how he explained the concept of algorithms and why they are set up in certain ways. The only reason I knocked off a star was because I thought it was a bit repetitive at times. I thought it could have been cut down about 50 pages due to a lot of repeated motifs.
183 reviews8 followers
September 8, 2022
This was an excellent book about how corrupt Google, Facebook, Twitter and others are and how the corrupt Democrats are using them to their advantage. Those 3 internet giants are stifling free speech and trying to determine what is right for all of us. There should be no communications from any governments asking them to stifle free speech. We need to break up these companies just like AT&T was broken up years ago.
Profile Image for Phil P.
53 reviews
October 21, 2020
This is extremely based...literally based on fact. You're dealing with people who feel they have been given the right to lead the world through manipulation.

The TL:DR in my opinion though: we lost, we're screwed, none of our savior's, including Trump, embrace alt tech. Just now we're seeing a preliminary lawsuit against google by the DOJ but dude...if it's gotten to this point, it's over.
Profile Image for BarbaraW.
519 reviews18 followers
January 7, 2021
Certainly eye opening. Lots of interesting information. I was already aware of Big Tech’s hold on internet users but it’s depth and breadth is stunning. The author causes more concern when you see how cozy elected officials are with Silicon Valley due to PACS. Something needs to be done to reign in their power.
Profile Image for Chuck.
137 reviews
January 11, 2021
Finished this book on the day of the purge so very timely. It was the scariest book I can remember reading and all the more so because of the current situation. Highly recommended for any brave readers out there.
Profile Image for Sarah.
486 reviews2 followers
March 12, 2021
I believe almost all books have a few nuggets of wisdom. I did appreciate the comparing and constraining on topics. There are a few points that need more supporting evidence. I found shadows banning interesting and chapter 15 was the best.
5 reviews
March 28, 2021
I am not a very technologically savvy person, but this book has made me terrified of all the things that Google and Facebook are doing behind the scenes. I will definitely not look at technology and social media the same way again....
Profile Image for Sherrie.
667 reviews28 followers
January 13, 2023
This is a good book. I find it interesting how in this book he talks about big tech censorship. Now that we know the extent of censorship by the government(White House, FBI,DOJ ) and Democrat politicians were doing, they can now say that all the conspiracy theorists were RIGHT!
33 reviews2 followers
Read
December 12, 2020
The first 15 chapters were a redundant complaint but then you get to the helpful useful stuff.
Profile Image for Melinda.
2,049 reviews20 followers
December 18, 2020
Really interesting and fascinating reads. lots of power and control held by these companies. Well researched and well presented.,
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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