Surveillance Capitalism Is a Threat to Democracy, Most Americans are worried about how companies like Facebook invade their privacy and harvest their data, but many don't understand how their information is being misused. Thom Hartmann shows exactly how the government and corporations are tracking our every move-in the "virtual" world as well as the "real" world-and using our data to skew elections, radicalize citizens, and monetize our lives. As Hartmann reveals, surveillance is used to stifle dissent and solidify power for both governments and corporations. Surveillance capitalism has the power to twist governance itself, but it's hidden in plain sight, which makes it more insidious and harder to stop. 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. These new surveillance systems now only make us poorer and damage our democracy. Hartmann reminds us of the vitality of our civil right to privacy and shows how we can restore it. Book jacket.