“Containing Big Tech” Named to Various 2023 Reading Lists

It is the nearing the end of 2023 and readers are coming out with their “2023 reading lists” aka their favorite books of the year. Seeing my book Containing Big Tech popping up on some of these reading lists has been quite gratifying! Here are three examples I recently spotted.

First up is a civil society group called the TechEquity Colloborative. Their mission is to

“raise public consciousness about economic equity issues that result from the tech industry’s products and practices, and advocate for change that ensures tech’s evolution benefits everyone.”

Sounds like that mission matches the main goal of my book!

In a blog post they published their “Books for 2023” and Containing Big Tech was one of five books on their reading list that they recommend to others. This is what they wrote:

“For an industry insider’s point of view on the effect of data collection and AI on our political economy, look no further than Containing Big Tech: How to Protect Our Civil Rights, Economy, and Democracy by Tom Kemp. Kemp is a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and investor who has served as an advisor for political campaigns such as the vote for Proposition 24 (the Consumer Privacy Rights Act of 2020). In his book, he outlines how the current business model for most Big Tech companies relies on mass surveillance that has weakened consumer privacy, monopoly capitalism that stifles innovation, and AI that can perpetuate bias and promote disinformation. Kemp also provides potential policy solutions to address these issues and more.”

Thank you to TechEquity for the recognition!

Next up is Steve Tout, host of the Nonconformist Innovation Podcast. He published his 2023 reading list and this is what he said about Containing Big Tech:

“Tom Kemp‘s book Containing Big Tech is a seminal reference on how data brokers and big tech companies misuse our most sensitive data, how AI is being exploited, and the abuse of our privacy. Kemp argues that big tech companies like Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, despite creating valuable products, pose threats to our civil rights, economy, and democracy due to their intrusive data collection practices. The book is well-researched and provides executives and policymakers valuable insights on emerging privacy regulations in California. It launched as a Bestseller and #1 New Release on Amazon and is a must-read for anyone interested in privacy and freedoms in the digital age. I was fortunate to be able to write an endorsement for the book and produce an event for Tom on The State of US Privacy and AI to celebrate the book launch.”

Thanks Steve! And thanks again for endorsing the book and helping with the event I did on the State of US Privacy and AI.

Finally, the Next Big Idea Club wrote a feature on “9 New Books on Why the Future Ain’t What It Used to Be” and Containing Big Tech was one of the nine featured. This is what they wrote:

This richly detailed book exposes the consequences of Big Tech’s digital surveillance, exploitative use of AI, and monopolistic and anticompetitive practices. It offers actionable solutions to these problems and a clear path forward for individuals and policymakers to advocate for change.

Thank you for that summation! And thanks to everyone else for adding me to their books of 2023 list! Keep ‘em coming :)