This book holds up a distorted mirror to the digital world, exposing the social, human, ethical, and power-related shadows of technological progress – confronting truths many would rather ignore. Technology is not merely a tool; it is a power structure that steadily weaves itself into every aspect of our lives.
While the digital world promises convenience, it quietly dismantles privacy, manipulates thought, and reshapes social reality through algorithms. With unflinching clarity, the book reveals how information technology becomes an instrument of surveillance, censorship, and control – whether through artificial intelligence, digital currencies, China’s digital leash, or the distorting influence of media.
It raises provocative questions: Is this truly the future we want? Is a few clicks’ worth of convenience enough to surrender our freedom?
This is not just a warning – it’s a wake-up call. A book for those unafraid to face the dark consequences of the digital age, and willing to reconsider the role of technology in their lives.

E-book: Google Play Books
Paperbook: amazon.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword 6
1. Technology pros and cons 9
1.1. The psychology of technological dependence 9
1.2. Blind faith in infrastructure 11
2. The publicisation of private life 17
2.1. Tracking our whereabouts 17
2.2. The end of privacy and traceability 19
2.3. Violation of children's rights 22
2.4. Reuse of data by third parties 22
2.5. Digital surveillance and algorithmic profiling 23
2.6. Social ranking and scoring 25
2.7. The permanence and repercussions of the digital past 25
2.8. The erosion of private relationships 27
3. Digital control 29
3.1. Dictatorship and democracy 29
3.2. China's digital leash 32
3.3. The Indian Aadhaar card 41
3.4. Digital citizenship 44
3.5. Land registry digitisation 47
3.6. The Canadian truckers' protest 51
3.7. The Russian SORM surveillance system 53
3.8. SORM clones in other countries 54
3.9. Facial and biometric surveillance 56
3.10. Pegasus spyware scandal 58
3.11. Surveillance of judges and prosecutors in Poland 59
3.12. Australian COVID app 59
3.13. Algorithm determining academic results in England 59
3.14. SyRI algorithmic profiling in the Netherlands 60
3.15. Palantir and immigration surveillance – USA 60
3.16. Facebook and disinformation in the Ethiopian conflicts 61
3.17. French artificial intelligence in the hunt for social media tax evasion 61
3.18. Dashcams and digital penalties 62
4. The digitisation of the monetary system 64
4.1. The risks of the current monetary and banking system 71
4.2. Is our money safe? 72
4.2.1. 2007 cyberattack in Estonia 74
4.2.2. The 2013 Cypriot bank run 76
4.2.3. Australian pension fund data loss 77
4.3. Cryptocurrencies 79
4.3.1. Advantages and disadvantages of cryptocurrencies 83
4.4. Digital yuan and euro 84
4.5. Bank fraud 87
4.5.1. Phishing, smishing, vishing 88
4.5.2. Fake websites and applications 89
4.5.3. Caller ID spoofing 90
4.5.4. Remote access scam 91
4.5.5. Romantic and investment scams 92
4.5.6. Deepfake and artificial intelligence-based fraud 92
4.5.7. Marketplace and parcel delivery scams 92
4.5.8. Other dangers 93
4.6. When security becomes a business interest – the illusion of financial control 95
4.7. Why did the classic economic models disappear? 97
5. Hacking capitalism 99
6. The degeneration of language 102
7. Artificial intelligence 105
8. Automatic weapon systems 114
8.1. Cyber warfare and digital wars 118
9. Online crime 121
9.1. Classic computer crimes 123
9.2. Digital fraud and financial abuse 124
9.3. Distribution of illegal content 126
9.4. Targeted attacks and political manipulation 127
9.5. Online harassment and digital abuse 128
9.6. Online radicalisation and sects 129
9.7. International cooperation and legal challenges 131
10. The darknet 132
10.1. The anatomy of the darknet 132
10.2. Criminal content on the darknet 134
10.3. The good side of internet anonymity 136
10.4. The algorithmisation of morality 137
10.5. The authorities and the cat-and-mouse game 138
10.6. The social impact of the darknet 139
10.7. Visions of the future 141
11. Media and manipulation 143
11.1. The loss of credibility 143
11.2. The power of the media and marketing 144
11.3. Digital censorship and manipulation 145
11.4. The displacement of independent journalism 148
11.5. Algorithmic reality shaping and the bubble effect 149
11.6. Micro-targeting and the industry of digital influence 150
11.7. The attention economy: clicks, sensationalism, distortion 150
11.8. The blurring of reality 152
11.9. Platforms as new centres of power 152
11.10. Information overload 153
12. The dominance of technology companies 154
12.1. Loss of sovereignty and digital colonisation 155
12.2. The rise of digital empires 155
12.3. New forms of power 156
12.4. Data as raw material 157
12.5. The paradox of regulation 158
12.6. The digital world order: a new logic of power 158
13. The transformation of the labour market and digital poverty 160
13.1. Automation and algorithmic work 160
13.2. New forms of digital poverty 161
13.3. Platform workers and invisible work 161
13.4. Education and digital mobility 162
13.5. The future of work: utopia or dystopia? 162
14. The environmental impact of the digital ecosystem 165
15. Complacency, dumbing down 167
15.1. Digital addiction 167
15.2. Simplified information processing 170
15.3. Digital addiction and attention deficit 171
15.4. The emptying of social relationships 172
15.5. The devaluation of offline existence 173
15.6. Grey-zone web shops 174
15.7. Artificial intelligence as a substitute for thinking 175
15.8. The downsides of digital education 176
15.9. Digital parenting and the generation gap 177
16. Freedom for security 178
17. The price of anonymity 180
18. Body image distortion and dating problems 182
19. Digital addiction 191