Another banger from the FT Business Book of the Year longlist.

The preface of this book reads like a pilot episode of a thriller series or good John Grisham novel. The story of how Hill’s investigation of Clearview AI began is enough to inspire a whole generation of new journalists.

The rest of the book justifies the hook. It’s extremely of-the-moment, and the author gives not just a clear, technical understanding of the Clearview tech, she documents the history of face recognition starting in the 1960s. 

This isn’t the full-on assault that you might expect. There is a lot of nuance to the issues that comes through loud and clear here. I came away with a stronger understanding of the legalities and ethics being debated right now, and even more frustration with the government for its’ inaction to date. 

Hill’s interview with Andrew Keen is worth watching too.