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A review by anthonylwolf
We Have Been Harmonised: Life in China's Surveillance State by Kai Strittmatter, Ruth Martin
4.0
As someone working on a dystopian novel, I now feel like China is doing most of the job for me. [a:Kai Strittmatter|384155|Kai Strittmatter|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s recount of contemporary China is both gripping and terrifying, though Kai clearly never makes an effort to conceal his bias against the country's system – which makes the tale sound a bit sensationalistic in places. But I guess that's the reality of China right now.
However, like others have pointed out in this section, the interesting bits come a bit later on in the game. Some have praised this review for saying that one third of the book could be easily skipped if you know enough about China, and that is precisely on point. Until about Chapter 9 ("The Eye"), what you get is an overview of China and an exemplary recipe book for totalitarian propaganda, but it's only when technology hops onto the stage that the most interesting bits begin to surface.
I must admit, though, that despite some wordy sections largely repeating the same arguments in loop, I think this book is a must-read for anyone wanting to know more about the promise and perils of technology in the age of digital surveillance.
And to understand why everyone in Europe seems to hate Tencent so much.
However, like others have pointed out in this section, the interesting bits come a bit later on in the game. Some have praised this review for saying that one third of the book could be easily skipped if you know enough about China, and that is precisely on point. Until about Chapter 9 ("The Eye"), what you get is an overview of China and an exemplary recipe book for totalitarian propaganda, but it's only when technology hops onto the stage that the most interesting bits begin to surface.
I must admit, though, that despite some wordy sections largely repeating the same arguments in loop, I think this book is a must-read for anyone wanting to know more about the promise and perils of technology in the age of digital surveillance.
And to understand why everyone in Europe seems to hate Tencent so much.