Means of Control

“Means of Control documents how a federal democracy formed shady alliances with private companies to collect data on its citizens… . [Tau] argue[s] persuasively that gee-whiz headlines about spy tech are a red herring; surveillance is a function of public-private partnerships, not specific technologies.”—The New York Times Book Review “[Byron Tau] spells out in persuasive and disturbing detail how we inescapably create a digital dossier of our every movement, social interactions, purchases, desires, and more… . Well-written and compelling … Tau knows how to tell a good story.”—The Cipher Brief“[Tau] documents how, across more than two decades, our government has turned to the private sector to keep tabs on us, all while both the authorities and the companies involved do everything they can to keep Americans in the dark… . An in-depth account … Tau’s extensive research gives readers a detailed tour of the bafflingly complex ecosystem of brokers and buyers of [our] information.”—Reason“A testament to the singular and indispensable power of journalism to shine light in the dark and find answers to the hardest questions.”—Shane Harris, author of The Watchers“Byron Tau’s extraordinary book recounts in engrossing detail how the U.S. government exploits massive loopholes in U.S. surveillance law to purchase in vast digital bazaars the intimate personal data that Americans unwittingly spew from their phones, cars, and computers every minute of every day. Means of Control exposes how American surveillance capitalism breeds secret government surveillance on a scale never imagined.”—Jack Goldsmith, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard Law School“A chilling chronicle of how data collection efforts by corporate and government entities have created a ‘digital panopticon’ . . . Filled with shocking revelations and first-rate reporting, this will have readers thinking twice before they post.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review“Startling . . . Tau’s explanations of how surveillance techniques have evolved in the twenty-first century in response to the trauma of 9/11—and how they might yet be put to use in ordinary circumstance—are exceptionally clear and unsettling. . . . This timely book carries a crucial message about the stakes involved in government-corporate partnerships. A fascinating, sometimes terrifying examination of the decline of privacy in the digital age.”—Kirkus Reviews

Byron Tau is an investigative and enterprise journalist who specializes in law, courts, and national security. He reports for and teaches at the Allbritton Journalism Institute, a journalism nonprofit launched in 2023 that trains and mentors early-career reporters. He previously worked at The Wall Street Journal and Politico. A native of Holliston, Massachusetts, Tau has degrees from McGill University in Montreal and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.