The Rise of the American Corporate Security State ― Six Reasons to Be Afraid

In the United States today, our Bill of Rights has been rendered pointless by heavy surveillance of average citizens, political persecution of dissenters, and the threat of indefinite detention now codified into law. Corporations reap handsome profits collecting information for various agencies—70 percent of the US intelligence budget is paid to private contractors. As a result, we now live in a Corporate Security State where the government is more interested in safeguarding the health of the companies who serve it than the citizens who support it.

Rise of the American Corporate Security State details the massive amount of information the government is collecting and exposes how far it’s willing to go to conceal its activities and punish anyone who dares expose it. Further, the blurring of the boundaries between business and government is enabling corporations to spy on employees and citizens in the name of “cybersecurity” and has hobbled attempts to punish the corporate institutions responsible for the financial collapse of 2008.

But Edwards offers a plan for fighting back—steps we can demand to restore transparency to government, keep private information private, and make democracy a reality once again.

Beatrice Edwards is both the executive director and the international program director at the Government Accountability Project, responsible for the organization’s actions defending whistleblowers through the Congress, the media, and the courts. She holds a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of Texas and a doctorate in sociology from American University, where she teaches from time to time. Author Residence: Washington, DC