Surveillance Valley

Levine traces the internet from ARPA counterinsurgency projects through to the present, and argues that the privacy tools built to escape surveillance were themselves government-funded.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “best history book” thread. A hostile reading of the same events How the Internet Happened narrates warmly — worth holding the two against each other.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @typesfast asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Connections

• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Privacy — the stake.
• Silicon Valley — the subject.