I happened to finish reading this book just as the Intel chip news broke so cyber security is now very much on my mind.
Conspiracy theories apart the capacity for governments to track their citizens through their smart phones and laptops is now well documented ( even retailers can track users data on Loyalty cards), the idea that there are individuals who manipulate the money markets to their own agendas is also believable, just look at the Libor scandals etc. Counterfeiting destabilises the economy. So I suppose it is not such a leap to the presence of The Badlands, criminals will always be in the forefront of exploiting weakness for their own ends. That there are also individuals who abide by their own set of morals and use cyberspace for good reasons is also believable
. Investigative journalism is about exposing secrets. Only by their exposure can things be changed and villains brought to account, unfortunately these individuals still managed to evade justice.
Fawn ultimately had only really one goal which was to protect her girls and she was prepared to do just about anything to do that, exposing the homeless shelters and camps for what they were was about finding her husband. The violence she suffered I did not feel was gratuitous, it demonstrated why she was so desperate to escape her pimp .
Somehow it was Joshua who appeared to lose the most. His belief in and the upholding of the law was tested and sometimes the gamekeeper must turn poacher .
We are told transparency makes for better security, but think Julian Assange , and who decides what becomes transparent ? Only those who have the power .
A good story which ultimately left me ( as any on this subject) feeling powerless. What's new?