A tech insider who has been praised by The New Yorker for her “forceful critique” of Big Tech describes what must be done to stop its erosion of democracy.

Over the past decades, under the guise of “innovation,” technology companies have successfully resisted regulation and have even begun to take power away from governments themselves. Facial recognition companies track citizens for police surveillance. Cryptocurrency has wiped out the personal savings of millions and threatens the stability of the global financial system. Spyware companies sell digital intelligence tools to anyone who can afford them. This new reality—where unregulated technology has become a powerful tool for autocrats around the world—is terrible news for democracies and citizens.

In The Tech Coup, Marietje Schaake provides a behind-the-scenes account of how technology companies have infiltrated nearly every corner of our lives and governments. She goes beyond the headlines to high-stakes meetings with human rights defenders, business leaders, computer scientists, and politicians to show how technologies—from social media to artificial intelligence—have shifted from being celebrated as utopian to undermining the foundations of our democracies. To reverse this existential power imbalance, Schaake outlines transformative solutions to empower elected officials and citizens alike. Democratic leaders can—and must—resist the influence of corporate lobbying and reinvent themselves as proactive, adaptable guardians of our digital world.

Drawing on her experiences in the halls of the European Parliament and among Silicon Valley insiders, Schaake offers an eye-opening look at our modern, tech-obsessed world—and a clear vision of how democracies can build a better future before it is too late.

Pages: 344, Year of Publication: 0101, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm