Democracy Betrayed: The Rise of the Surveillance Security State

In the aftermath of 9/11, in collusion with booming technological advancements, a new and more authoritarian form of governance is supplanting liberal democracy. The creation of the Security Industrial Complex — an “internal security state-within-the-state” fueled by tech companies, private security firms, and the Intelligence Community to the tune of $120 billion a year — is intruding on civil liberties to an extent never before seen in our history. Politicians tolerate it; the average citizen at times welcomes it, thinking it is the way to keep the America safe in a time of uncertainty and terrorism. But how real is the terrorist threat, and is it worth the loss of our individual privacy?

As a society, the author maintains, we have yet to comprehend the meaning of universal digital connection, its impact on our psychology, and its transformation of our government and society. America is at a crossroads in contending with our overreaction to terrorism, allowing the beginnings of a police state, and the erosion of our country from a “liberal democracy” to a “secure democracy” – one where government overreaches, tramples on civil liberties, and uses great advancements in technology to spy on the populace.