Freedom to Think: The Long Struggle to Liberate Our Minds

by Susie Alegre

Without a moment's pause, we share our most intimate thoughts with trillion-dollar tech companies. Their algorithms categorize us and jump to conclusions about who we are. They even shape our everyday thoughts and actions - from who we date to how we vote. But this is just the latest front in an age-old struggle.

Part history and part manifesto, Freedom to Think charts the history and importance of our most basic human right: freedom of thought. From Galileo to Nudge Theory to Alexa, human rights lawyer Susie Alegre explores how the powerful have always sought to get inside our heads, influence how we think and shape what we buy.

Providing a bold new framework to understand how our agency is being gradually undermined, Freedom to Think is a ground-breaking and vital charter for taking back our humanity and safeguarding our reason.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Technology, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Business

400 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2022

About the author

Susie Alegre is a leading international
human rights lawyer who has worked for
NGOs and international organisations
around the world on some of the most
challenging human rights issues of our
time. She has been a legal pioneer in
the field of digital rights and is a Senior
Fellow at the Centre for International
Governance Innovation and a Research
Fellow at the University of Roehampton.

Susie’s first book, Freedom to Think, received
wide acclaim, was chosen as a Book of
the Year in the Financial Times and the
Telegraph, longlisted for the Moore Prize for
Human Rights Writing and shortlisted
for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize.

Reviews

[Doc Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the subject of children keeping an Alexa (the Amazon virtual assistant) in their bedroom like a toy the author Susie Alegre notes,

‘When my daughter asked why she couldn't have an Alexa like her friends, I told her that it is because Alexa steals your dreams and sells them. She hasn't asked for Alexa again.’

Alegre has a point. The book highlights the ethical challenges that algorithms and technology pose in smashing our fragile human rights.

Some of the dystopian case-studies are truly shocking. But don’t have nightmares, use the lessons explored to stay informed and help safeguard our futures in the digital age.

Alegre concludes,
‘The freedom to think for ourselves is what makes us human. Once we lose it, we may never get it back. It is not too late to change course, to harness technology to liberate rather than to subjugate our minds. But the time for change is now; we cannot afford to wait.’

[Tanja Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of the freedom to think and how the algorithms of our apps is reversing this freedom. Philosophical, to an extent, and acutely relevant.

[Stefanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that will urge you to rethink about your digital footprint and take you over the fence to close your social media profiles. This is the book that best outlines the extend of online surveillance for all kinds of reasons, but mostly for multinationals to make unthinkable amounts of money at the expense of our rights and freedom to think. Well, with the exception of "Surveillance Capitalism", that is :)

[ree · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very important book on the impact of technology and surveillance capitalism on the devices and broader internet that we use on a day to day basis. i already knew a lot of what i was reading, as it is a topic i'm very passionate about, but it just made me more sad for my friends and family that a) don't understand / have an awareness of what these 'social' platforms and devices are doing to them and b) don't care to know.

would highly recommend.

[Christopher G. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry on Goodreads rated Freedom to Think as "amazing."
"An extremely necessary book for our time. Susie Alegre makes a compelling argument for why our freedom to think is too precious to give up. A fascinating read."

The premise of the book:

“Without freedom of thought or opinion, we have no humanity, and we have no democracy. Making these rights real requires three things:
1. the ability to keep your thoughts private;
2. freedom from manipulation of your thoughts;
3. that no one can be penalised for their thoughts alone."

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely necessary book for our time. Susie Alegre makes a compelling argument for why our freedom to think is too precious to give up. A fascinating read - thank you!

[Kanako Okiron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and in short otherwise this will be a very long review, I learned A LOT.

[Nestor · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a perfect example of the analysis and postulate of the book on how we lose freedom of thought due to the advance of social networks, the result of uncontrolled capitalism in its search for profit at all costs, even of our feelings and thoughts, is Argentina. The ultra-right, in one more desperate attempt to seize the natural resources of that country, chose a deranged dwarf. This nefarious character, full of evil and hatred, who claims to want to destroy the country, was elected thanks to the 4,000+ TV hours that "someone" paid for him to appear on all the television programs and social networks, influencing people's minds with the idea that the "caste" was to blame for all the country's ills and that he came to destroy that caste. The caste is the rich, the leftist politicians, or popular ones like Kirchnerism or Peronism, the people who hold social plans, the public and free universities. When he took office, he effectively destroyed with his ultra-right policies the "non-caste" or exposed those who he came to destroy, which was the middle class, and the working class, handing the country over to the usual looters, giving them all the benefits of plundering the country without paying anything for it.

That brainwashing campaign was done through traditional media and social networks, very effective and still going on, it is a perfect example of people losing all ability to reason, even in light of knowing what happened in the USA, Brazil, and even with Nazi Germany and the control of propaganda. This book should be read by all those who still have some reasoning ability. However, I think it has been lost in the hands of a rapacious and greedy capitalism in search of profit, and obtaining the benefits for the next quarter at any cost. It is so effective that fewer and fewer people care.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X), etc. don't profit from ads as they say, if one runs the numbers they don't add up. Those Social Networks are supported to experiment with ways to control minds and people. This is not a "conspiracy theory". This, and many other books describe how it's done, is the new, modern way, a new twist, of propaganda that the ruling class has to control the population.

In the last paragraph, the author attempts to give a positive view of how these tools can be used against them, the ones who created and control, to overcome their objective to control us, I have some doubts for the first time in more than a century, today's younger generation -- the so-called "digital natives" -- perform worse on intelligence tests than their predecessors. The older generation is NOT turning into one of old people complaining about everything, thinking that young people do not think. Rather, it is turning into a generation that sees the efforts of previous generations to build a fair, supportive, and self-sufficient world being wasted in a voracious capitalism, of a few and with the consent of the new generations.

[Greig Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under the guise of convenience, technology has normalised the notion that our lives can be aggregated, sold, and manipulated. But, whilst Dr. Susie Alegre teaches us that throughout history there has always been a desire by men to control the thoughts of others, nothing compares to the situation we now find ourselves in where businesses and nation-states wage war on our freedom to think daily.

Expert in digital rights Dr. Susie Alegre believes, as we should all believe, that privacy and data protection are basic human rights, and this book takes us on a journey through the history of our human rights, as they relate, to the freedom to think, right up to the present moment. Susie dives into some of the most insidious advertising practices, which were considered the gold standard in performance marketing for a long time, citing case studies from Google, Facebook, and Cambridge Analytica to name a few.

Technology is evolving at such a clip, that not a day goes by without talk of a new ground-breaking software launch, and legislation scrabbles to provide guardrails to protect society. We find ourselves at a tipping point in the technological revolution where if more people don't educate themselves on the risks of these advances we may find our freedom of thought has been eroded even further.

Dr. Susie Alegre passionately advocates for more oversight to help protect our freedom to think and argues that we should be using technology to liberate rather than subjugate our minds.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand Alegre's intentions of using a well crafted chronological depiction of areas in the history of thought freedom; the lack of guidence in the opinion from Suzie Alegre is true to the objective narrative she tried to deliver.

However, for what I've expected the book to be the first 1/2 of the book could have been reduced down to a first chapter in the freedom of thought throughout the time. Pushing through over 120 pages of "[exploration of] what interferences with the rights to freedom of thought, belief and opinion have looked like in the analogue world through ages" (p.127) became a textbook rather than a book. It's extended presence seemed forced compared to the second part of the book.

The exploration of political, religious and scientifc perspective was well explored but to the point that I've started to lose the point the author was trying to convey. In many ways the explanation and defintion of freedom of thought was repetitive and overexplained to the extent, in which it became redandant in it's effectiveness to convey new information in further chapters.

This juxtaposed, however, with the 14th chapter of the modern exploration of freedom of thought and expression rights in the roam of surveillance capitalism, AI integration and online identity. By the thought provoking and urgency-filled questiong narrative, Alegre pushes the reader towards self investigation of actionable steps in the name of new era of humanity. I would recommend the last 1/3 of the book to everyone that takes part in the digital world.

[Janna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read, it brings a fresh and authoritative perspective to the debate. I also feel that we need to move past the question of privacy when we think about freedom and technology, and it is nice to see work which conceptualises the problem beyond that. Props to the author for a clear legal perspective which did not need to use jargon and to make itself unnecessarily complex to be credible. The author made this book very accessible.

It is more an overview than it is an in-depth investigation of a particular phenomenon (say, social media), but I think that it was necessary to stay relatively broad to introduce the line of argumentation. There is a lot in there which is familiar, and the book builds upon resources which are very present in the debate (such as 1984 or Jaron Lanier), but they are used to make an original point, or at the very least, to put forward a very important reminder.

I think, maybe, that someone who works in the field of human rights and has seen humanity at its worst is in a good position to deliver a warning about technologies which have arrived so fast that we are still processing their impact on society. In that sense, this book was necessary to make the connection between a problem and a framework, which is good; however chaotic everything may seem right now, we may not have to look as far as we thought for a solution..

[Aaron Makepeace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A timely reminder of the creeping conformism the relationship between big tech & the state has ushered into our lives.

The strength of this book is in its historical examples that it brings to bear to elaborate on the various topics its discusses.
I was pleased to see the author reference US expertise in unethical psychological experiments on unwitting civilians.
I was also pleased to see the british governments history in propaganda referenced.

Aside from this, what this book brings to the table has been said allready by multiple people, the subject matter is not new.
What astonishes me is all of this is without exception, allways referred to in the future tense.
"We must be vigilant", "When freedom is lost, you can't get it back" etc etc.

A debate arguing the case that the freedoms this book wishes to defend, were lost quite some time ago, would be a very easy one to justify.

Being a human rights lawyer, the trust placed in such laws by the author is understandable.
But given the flagrant disregard all big states have for them, different approaches to these problems should be examined.

Given the authors positive regard for the european arrest warrant, i would also question her consistency in championing human rights.

Three stars as this book brings nothing new to the debate whatsoever, but its scope & impartiality of historical examples is to be commended.

[Nina Keese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freedom to Think is an original and captivating work that examines pressing contemporary issues through the lens of a neglected right: the right to freedom of thought. The book highlights different threats - old and new - to freedom of thought, including abusive psychiatric practices, propaganda, surveillance advertising, online manipulation, or algorithmic decision-making using information about our inner states.

Through her reframing - in a very accessible way - of these practices as potential violations of the right to freedom of thought, Alegre makes a powerful argument as to why we should accord greater attention to the right and how it can provide individuals with real protection, particularly in the digital sphere. I would strongly recommend this book. It conveys an ultimately optimistic message in the troubled times we are facing globally, but also an urgent call for action and for the defense of human rights.

[LEWIS ROPER · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, reminds me of ‘Stolen Focus’ but is more centred around this idea of data collection and technology invades your human right to free thought and expression. One thing I really liked about this book was how the first section explains the history of the human rights, why they came to be and ways that important historical figures (like Socrates and Galileo) were punished for their expression of thoughts, as well as the attack on so called “witches” and marginalised groups. It also explains some ways that science has attacked people’s freedom to think, particularly in the 20th century. While this was fascinating history, it also really effectively sets the stage for the rest of the book, rather than latter chapters becoming disconnected from it - it was handled really well!

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for importance, and for laying excellent groundwork both historically and in specific cases referenced.

Some (of the many) important concepts explored, beyond what we all expect in terms of Surveillance Capitalism and privacy:

1. Human Rights law as the existing framework to support privacy and mental freedoms.
2. The importance of a child's digital surveillance record not being allowed to follow them into adulthood.
3. Freedom from manipulation and freedom to think is a critical antecedent to innovation (something others highlight is slowing, and is very much needed).

[rrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our thoughts and opinions are no longer our own, and we are sleepwalking through an Orwellian nightmare in real time - Alegre discusses how, through our online lives, we are giving away too much of ourselves with hugely detrimental results. A fascinating and timely read that is a call to action in terms of how we negotiate the online world for our own and and our children's sakes.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really interesting take on the data and AI challenges, very well researched. I was fascinated by the link to human rights throughout, and starting with a past look at human rights abuses and law was a great way to tell this narrative.

[Manish · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://manishmohandas.com/2023/03/27...

[Melissa]

Goodreads

[Marie Olivier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LIKED this book - first off I’m baffled at Susie Alegre’s resume + experiences. Aspirational.

The title probably doesn’t capture the essence of this book which delves into how AI is increasingly encroaching on our human rights. To explore the subject we first needed to define human rights (specifically the right to freedom of thought) and luckily the author is a human rights lawyer.

I was really intrigued by what were quite simple assertions - if AI relies on our biased data it’s conclusions and deductions are INVARIABLY going to exaggerate existing prejudice. Of course, but it’s a conclusion I’d never considered.

- it’s very depressing and scary to think about how much data companies have on us
- it’s frustrating to see how our rights aren’t protected by legislation

This book risked becoming a bit cyclical and repetitive but I could appreciate how the author was trying to rally the people

(also I’m the FIRST person to finish this book club read from December, chop chop mfers)

[Stephen Coates · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book presents a strong argument for defending the right to freedom of thought from various challenges that have occurred throughout history and continue in more insidious forms in the present day. It begins with a history of the battles against restrictions on freedom of speech and writing citing Magna Carta which provided protection although only to the church and elites from a dictatorial king, Galileo’s trial, the 1689 English Bill of Rights, the American Declaration of Independence, through to the UN Declaration of Human Rights and more recent acts of legislation.

Moving to the present era, the book discusses corporate surveillance, targeted political and commercial advertising, algorithms that exponentially amplify misinformation and hate posts, various regulations proposed and enacted, and noted that exemptions are generally provided for political parties. It then looked at the gaming industry and how most screen games have been designed to addict children. The book also examined how a person’s Facebook comments and likes, and the topics of Google searches impacted other issues such as what job selections a Google job search would find, ads for health care and life insurance etc. Other aspects of online manipulation were also discussed including how pornography presented was overwhelmingly violent. Returning to the core topic of freedom of thought, the book described how governments, in the wake of the 11/09/2001 terrorist attacks, sought with zeal to identify extremism in thought to prevent future such attacks. The book concluded by discussing various legislative and regulatory measures that might be used to defend the right to freedom of thought.

The book was well researched and her concerns well argued. However, the conclusion was not as concise as it could have been and it lacked discussing any means by which a person might protect their own freedoms beyond lobbying for government regulation.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book considers the challenge of big tech, data-mining, surveillance and algorithms through the lens of human rights, and protecting our human rights to thought and opinion. Honestly, it's contents are chilling, as the author points to various ways humans are being exploited, and potentially exploited, through the tech we use everyday, and the ways that tech can learn what we're thinking and potentially manipulate and influence what we think and do. Think Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four.

This book is about what it means to have control of our own mind, thoughts and opinions, why that is important, and what we can do to avoid a dystopian future. I don't know anything about human rights law, international law, or even how big tech works, but this book is very accessible, logically laid out, and well-written, even if I feel I didn't glean everything the author offered.

I really appreciated what Alegre said about what we are willing to accept or tolerate in terms of human rights breaches may be used to fuel disadvantages for others. It's important we don't let our privilege make us blind to the threat of human rights breaches to others.

This book has an ultimately hopeful outlook and belief in what we can achieve and how we can combat this increasing surveillance and attempts to infiltrate our minds. It also has a hopeful view of what it means to be human, our inherent value and dignity, which I found very meaningful. But there's also a very bleak view of what humans can be, because contained within this book is a history of how humans have tried to exploit and enslave and amass power over each other, for power, greed, hate and whatever other reasons. It's actually heartbreaking.

This book is a lot to take in and consider.