About the Author
Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother, speaking at a convention
Cory Doctorow is a blogger and journalist, as well as an author of several novels. Most of Doctorow’s works discuss modern issues such as copyright laws or file sharing. Doctorow is an activist who often uses his stories as a way to express his views on copyright laws and released his books under Creative Commons licensing. He has been writing stories since 1998 and has been teaching and speaking all over the world. His background in Computer Science has tremendously helped his writing and understanding of issues created by the use of modern technology. In 2008, Doctorow released one of his most recent works, Little Brother.
Part 1: Chapters 1-10
Little Brother is a fictional story based on a San Franciscan High school student, Marcus. Marcus, who is also known online as W1n5t0n, holds similar views to that of Doctorow. He lives in a world where every action or moment is being tracked by cameras, sensors, or GPS. Two of Marcus’ favorite hobbies include hacking and playing an Augmented Reality game, Harajuku Fun Madness. One day, Marcus and his friends ditch school to go play their game. As they are playing, an attack on the Bay Bridge occurs. Shortly after this attack, Marcus and his friends are captured by the DHS. They take Marcus and his friends to a secure prison where they are interrogated. Marcus is asked to unlock his phone, which he refuses to do. Marcus dislikes the invasion of privacy and does not want to give up his rights. After not cooperating with the lady officer, Marcus is tortured. After a long week of torture and interrogation, Marcus and his friends are finally released and threatened. Daryl, one of Marcus’ friends is still missing. Marcus quickly starts noticing the stronger and stronger means of tracking. He learns that there are no ways to communicate without someone listening to his conversation. He creates Xnet which is a secret and secure way for Marcus to speak with others who are plotting against the DHS.
Little Brother is available for free download, available online.
Review of Part 1
I think Doctorow did a great job setting up the setting for this novel. Although the story is fiction, the science and technology involved isn’t unheard of. His writing draws a vivid picture of San Francisco, even citing streets and locations that actually exist in some cases. The description of technology is also another factor that makes this a believable and intriguing read. Most of the systems that Marcus and Doctorow encounter are technologies that are currently being developed now. I think the novel has done a great job of creating a discussion around the grey areas created by technology and security. With the introduction of things such as the Backscatter Xray machine at airports, we are seeing the line between security and privacy being blurred.
Part 2: Chapters 11-21
As Marcus continues to live his life, the DHS continue to monitor him. One day, Marcus comes home to find a bug in his laptop. Rather than taking the bug out of the laptop, Marcus decided to leave it in and use his Xbox as an internet device instead. Later, when he is watching TV, he realizes that the media is misrepresenting the DHS. Even his own dad is defending the breach of privacy in the name of security. Marcus and other Xnet users begin disrupting the information found on Clipper cards and Fastraks. The DHS begins investigating innocent people that have “suspicious” activity. Marcus, Ange, and other Xnet users decide to have a press conference so they can express why they are doing what they are doing. Unfortunately, the media misrepresents them again. They are portrayed as students who are childlike and aiding with terrorist attacks. Eventually, the DHS captures Marcus again and hold him captive. As Marcus is being water boarded, the prison is seized and Marcus is saved by a reporter that he’s been working with. Darryl is found and the DHS was shut down.
Review of Part 2
After completing the book, I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading it. Doctorow creates a world that is only slightly more extreme than the world we live in today. Like Marcus’ school, there are some schools today that are requiring students to be tracked with the use of special cards. Doctorow also did a great job of questioning the definition of terrorism. It reminded me of the post 9/11 months. The government would release different colors regarding our safety level. Then, every so often, it would be elevated to a red level (severe risk of an attack). The terrorists were no longer the one’s spreading terror, the government was! In Little Brother, the DHS was giving citizens a false sense of security by taking away the privacy of the people. The information they collected and tracked was not actually finding terrorists, but stripping away people of anonymity.
The DHS alert level post 9/11 attacks.
I also enjoyed the similarities between George Orwell’s 1984 and Little Brother. Marcus’ username, for example, is an allusion to Winston, the main character of the 1984. Even the name Little Brother is a throwback to the Big Brother from 1984. While 1984 brainwashed people through the use of loudspeakers, censorship, and televisions, Little Brother does it in a much more secretive way. The DHS in Little Brother creates a false sense of privacy, freedom, and safety. As technology and security becomes a more and more important part of our lives, the fiction in Little Brother may soon become a reality.
Script
Fades in from dark. Marcus and Ange are in the back of a truck that they are hitchhiking home in.
Marcus is holding the USB drive and looking at it.
Marcus
We have to find out what’s on this drive. It’s the only way we are going to be able to protect our friends. Our only chance at finding them again.
Ange
I agree. We need to find a safe connection and computer to upload it from.
Marcus
We can’t go home. We need to go somewhere else. We’ll get off at the next stop. We can find an electronics store to make a temporary computer and connection.
Ange
Do you have enough money? I only have 15 dollars in cash. We probably shouldn’t use our credit cards.
Marcus
I have $50. I think we will be able to find enough pieces to come up with something.
Marcus and Ange get off the truck in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by desert and the town is rundown. There is a store that sells old and broken electronics. Marcus and Ange walk out of the store with a bunch of different electronics.
Marcus
This would be a lot easier if Zeb was able to help us. I think I might be able to do figure something out. Hopefully there aren’t too many of the components broken in these devices.
Ange
This stuff looks archaic. People actually used these devices?
Marcus and Ange make a shelter in an alley and it’s night time. Marcus is working by the fire light and using the fire to help solder wires together. Marcus’s face is lit up by the turning on of a small screen that he has been able to fix.
Ange
You did it!
Marcus
We’ll see. We still need to be able to connect to the internet.
Marcus plugs the usb key into the laptop and the webcam captures his picture. The image of Marcus is automatically uploaded to a website that is not displayed. A pop up appears on the screen “Access Granted”. Maps, pictures, and articles start scrolling across the screen quickly.
Ange: (looking at the screen) Marcus, do you know what this means?
Marcus: (takes a big gulp) I think so..
[TO BE CONTINUED]