* Did you know that your government is watching you?* That it buys personal data from private contractors and foreign governments?* That it collects this information to "predict"whether you might be a terrorist?* That if you are singled out, no one may be able to help you?In light of the recent terrorist threats at U.K and U.S. airports, this book is a timely and provocative read about what governments should and should not be doing to protect us from further terrorist attacks. It is a crucial look at a little-examined aspect of the U.S.-led "war on terror" — the move toward the use of mass, globalized surveillance and a "preemptive"model of security, and its effects on democratic values and human rights around the world."Maureen Webb pulls all the pieces together — special rendition, no fly lists, biometric surveillance, warrant-less wire taps, torture — to create a harrowing picture of post 9-11 state repression. This valuable guide makes clear how dramatically civil liberties have been attacked in recent years." — Christian Parenti, author of "The Freedom: Shadows and Hallucinations in Occupied Iraq," "The Soft Cage," and "Lockdown America""A thorough and terrifying compendium of the threats to democracy posed by the unquestioning use of technology. The book urges us not to stand by as governments seek to replace the rule of law with faulty databases searched by unproven computer algorithms. Maureen Webb portrays a frightening image of high-placed officials playing with their technological toys; meanwhile the real world — and its real insecurities — elude them." — Ellen Ullman, author of "The Bug: A Novel" and "Close to the Machine""Your government is spying on you, and it's going to get worse until we do something about it," is Maureen Webb's message in her brilliant, much needed new book. In measured, lucid detail, Webb presents a wide-ranging account of the emerging global network of surveillance that is infringing on the personal privacy and civil liberties of people in the United States and world wide. Focusing on U.S.-led initiatives in the aftermath of of 9/11, Webb's timely book describes how governments are spying on not only foreigners, but also their own citizens, and sharing the data with other countries and big corporations. She reminds us that we live in a political moment in which the world's primary advocate of democracy--the United States-- is engaging in indefinite detentions, torture, extrajudicial killings, and domestic spying. " — Nadine Strossen, Executive Director, ACLU

Canadian human rights lawyer and activist Webb begins with the cautionary tale of Maher Arar, a Canadian snatched by US authorities and whisked off to the Middle East to be tortured for a year before being released without charge, or even apology. From there, she reveals the multitude of sleight-of-hand measures governments have taken to limit the freedom of people who were being terrified by government warnings of terrorism. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

With the United States in the lead, governments around the world are constructing a global surveillance system to monitor their populations. A new "risk management"paradigm is replacing pre-9/11 models: Now all levels of risk are intolerable, and global surveillance is the tactic to eliminate threats before they have a chance to strike. In this disturbing new model, everyone is a suspect, and our everyday lives are continually monitored and assessed for the risk we present to the State. An invaluable primer for everyone concerned with the future of their privacy and the limits of government control.
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Maureen Webbis a human rights lawyer and activist.

In light of the recent terrorist threats at U.K and U.S. airports, this book is a timely and provocative read about what governments should and should not be doing to protect us from further terrorist attacks. It is a crucial look at a little-examined aspect of the U.S. — led "war on terror" — the move toward the use of mass, globalized surveillance and a "preemptive"model of security, and its effects on democratic values and human rights around the world.

"George Orwell and Michel Foucault together could not have imagined the future that Maureen Webb warns is already here — a state of global surveillance that challenges all of our most deep-seated expectations of privacy. Highly readable and critically important. Read it to see who's watching you." --David Cole, author of Enemy Aliens: Double Standards and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism

"Through the various 'frozen scandals'of the War on Terror-from extraordinary rendition to torture to warrant-less wiretapping and surveillance-runs a single theme: the Bush Administration's obsessive concern with 'the preemption of risk.'" — Mark Danner, author of Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib and the War on Terror

"Tracking the myriad ways in which governments-aided by advanced technology and profit-hungry corporations-are monitoring and manipulating us, she reminds us that the only predictable consequence of it all is human suffering, with little or no increase in real security." — Robert Jensen, University of Texas at Austin professor and author of The Heart of Whiteness and Citizens of the Empire

"This valuable guide makes clear how dramatically civil liberties have been attacked in recent years." — Christian Parenti, author of The Freedom: Shadows and Hallucinations in Occupied Iraq, The Soft Cage and Lockdown America

"In measured, lucid detail, Webb presents a wide-ranging account of the emerging global network of surveillance that is infringing on the personal privacy and civil liberties of people in the United States and worldwide." --Nadine Strossen, Executive Director, ACLU

"This is a compelling book and it should be compulsory reading." --Jeremy Waldron, Professor of Philosophy, NYU and author of The Dignity of Legislation and Law and Disagreement

Maureen Webb is a Canadian human rights lawyer and activist. She was a litigator for some of the first constitutional cases heard under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including the landmark freedom of association case, Lavigne and a case challenging the powers of Canada's newly instituted spy agency, CSIS.