Many thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy of this book.

 

Scary.  Unnerving. 

 

You know how you mention Ugg slippers, and then your social media feed is suddenly full of adds for them?  

 

So annoying.  Big Brother is always watching and listening.  

 

You can thank Hank Asher, the Dark Lord of Data.  

 

A self-taught mathematical genius, Asher pioneered data fusion technology with innocent notions- wanting to find missing children- only for it to morph into a powerful tool able to track each aspect of life.   

 

In Funk’s extrapolation of this “madman” and the computers he empowered, we see the far-reaching, often nefarious modern implications.

 

Interesting, albeit dense, it’s apparent this non-fiction thriller is well researched.  Even so, I found myself needing breaks from the immensity of information, particularly regarding the science around data collection and computer usage. 

 

Oh, but those jaw dropping moments always pulled me back in.  Here’s an example:

 

“In early 2019, Dr. Laura Gottlieb published a peer reviewed paper… that reminded readers how… life insurers had used social determinants data…. Ownership of an Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra correlated with poor health… while Toyota Highlander owners topped out the other end of the spectrum.”  

 

YIKES.

 

It’s a scary look into the synthesis of aggregated data.  Asher’s legacy will be felt long into the future.