The Numerati
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Learn how the crisis over digital privacy and manipulation evolved in this "utterly fascinating" look at the growth of data mining and analysis (Seattle Post-Intelligencer).
Award-winning journalist Stephen Baker traces the rise of the "global math elite": computer scientists who invent ways to not only record our behavior, but also to predict and alter it. Nowadays, we don't need to be online to create a digital trail; we do it simply by driving through an automated tollbooth or shopping with a credit card. As massive amounts of information are collected, sifted, and analyzed, we all become targets of those who want to influence everything from what we buy to how we vote.
Clear and "highly readable," The Numerati is a look at the origins of our present-day world, the possibilities of the future, and those who—whether with good or bad intentions—profile us as workers, consumers, citizens, or potential terrorists (The Wall Street Journal).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this captivating exploration of digital nosiness, business reporter Baker spotlights a new breed of entrepreneurial mathematicians (the "numerati") engaged in harnessing the avalanche of private data individuals provide when they use a credit card, donate to a cause, surf the Internet or even make a phone call. According to the author, these crumbs of personal information buying habits or preferences are being culled by the numerati to radically transform, and customize, everyday experiences; supermarket "smart carts" will soon greet shoppers by name, guide them to their favorite foods, tempting them with discounts only on items they like; candidates will be able to tailor their messages to specific voters; sensors in homes or even implanted in bodies themselves will report early warnings of medical problems ("have you noticed Grandpa has been walking slower?"), predict an increased risk of disease in the future or adjust a drug for a single individual. An intriguing but disquieting look at a not too distant future when our thoughts will remain private, but computers will disclose our tastes, opinions, habits and quirks to curious parties, not all of whom have our best interests at heart.
