riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (12/05/83)
"The Rise of the Computer State" by David Burnham.
(New York: Random House, 1983)
This is not a review, but a pointer. This book was recommended to me
by a political science professor at a talk I gave at which the subject
of the misuse of computers came up.
David Burnham is a veteran New York Times reporter. He is probably best
known for his work on two rather famous cases in the past few years: he
wrote the articles on police corruption in New York City based on the
revelations made by Frank Serpico and David Durk, and he was the reporter
who Karen Silkwood was on her way to meet at the time of her mysterious
death.
The main theme of this book appears to be the growing threat which tele-
communications and computerized databases represent to our privacy. I
haven't read the book yet, but I plan to do so soon. Since the topic is
one that crops up on the net from time to time, I'm mentioning the book
before I read it in the hope of stimulating a little discussion.
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Prentiss Riddle
{ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle
riddle@ut-sally.UUCPas@brunix.UUCP (Alex Stein) (12/08/83)
The book is well-organized, fairly current, thoughtful, and extremely well-written. READ it!