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Zero: Sie wissen, was du tust

Marc Elsberg (Goodreads Author)

3.69 · Rating details · 3,208 ratings · 251 reviews

Wer sich im Netz bewegt, für den gibt es kein Entkommen.

London. Bei einer Verfolgungsjagd wird ein Junge erschossen. Sein Tod führt die Journalistin Cynthia Bonsant zu der gefeierten Internetplattform Freemee. Diese sammelt und analysiert Daten – und verspricht dadurch ihren Millionen Nutzern ein besseres Leben und mehr Erfolg. Nur einer warnt vor Freemee und vor der Macht ...more

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Paperback, 496 pages

Published October 17th 2016 by Blanvalet Taschenbuch Verlag (first published May 23rd 2014)

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Jul 02, 2018 Kath rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Ironically enough, a couple of days before I started this book, I purchased a tracker watch. Would I have still bought it after reading this book, I honestly don't know? I have it set to remind me to try do 250 steps every hour and I did chuckle when it flashed up that I only needed 20-odd steps for my hour and I duly got up and had a wander.
What has this got to do with anything...? Well, it forms the crux of what is happening in this book. Instead of data miners stealing data from internet foo Ironically enough, a couple of days before I started this book, I purchased a tracker watch. Would I have still bought it after reading this book, I honestly don't know? I have it set to remind me to try do 250 steps every hour and I did chuckle when it flashed up that I only needed 20-odd steps for my hour and I duly got up and had a wander.
What has this got to do with anything...? Well, it forms the crux of what is happening in this book. Instead of data miners stealing data from internet footprints, people can now sign up to a new site called Freemee and sell the same data for money/credits. Along with this, users can also sign up for lifestyle advice. What to eat, where to go, how to act, who to be seen with, along with careers and studying advice for the younger users. Many people have had brilliant results from this but, there is always a darker side to technology and that is what the rest of the book is all about. People acting completely differently to their core personalities and the aftermath of those clashes. Shops and businesses going under cos they aren't flavour of the month with the apps. Zero is an underground movement, bubbling under for a while, but who crashes into the public eye after a very audacious drone strike (video not violence) on the President's family in an attempt to bring to the fore how this way of life is affecting people. We also meet Cynthia, an old school investigative journalist and a bit of a technophobe to boot. Certain information finds its way to her that puts her life in danger. But with everyone practically being sheep to Freemee, who can she really trust to help her expose the truth?
This book scared me a little. Coming shortly after the shenanigans with all the internet data stealing and selling on, coupled with all the electronics we now use and how much of ourselves we share online, the majority of which described in the book is all too credible. Yes I have a tracker watch but I signed up with an anonymous email. I have all my other privacy settings set max and my locations all inactive as much as I can but, blow me down, only this morning I was asked to review a place I had visited (but not shared on any platform) for lunch yesterday. Big brother is out there and watching!
There was an awful lot going on in this book. Having four main "factions" all pushing in different but yet similar directions and overlapping quite a bit did make it, at times, a bit hard to follow but, I made my cast list (something I do often when I struggle) and things went easier from then on in.
All the technology described in the book is already out there in one form or another and it wouldn't be too hard to believe that some of the manipulative stuff depicted also exists. Even just the watch I wear can be extended to do more than just count my steps and track my sleep and it didn't really cost the earth. With so many people spending so much of their lives online, it's only a matter of time before the fiction in this book becomes reality. I hope by then that legislation has also caught up alongside it.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. ...more

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Jul 29, 2018 Paul rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Currently, it feels like a day can’t go by without a new technology related scandal appearing in our headlines. Everyone from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, to corrupt foreign governments are having a go at manipulating data to further their own ends. We live in an information age, where data is collateral, and every aspect of our lives is available for analysis. I’ll admit to being fascinated and terrified about this prospect in equal measure. A thriller that explores how information can be Currently, it feels like a day can’t go by without a new technology related scandal appearing in our headlines. Everyone from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, to corrupt foreign governments are having a go at manipulating data to further their own ends. We live in an information age, where data is collateral, and every aspect of our lives is available for analysis. I’ll admit to being fascinated and terrified about this prospect in equal measure. A thriller that explores how information can be controlled, repurposed and used to exploit people as its central plot was always going to draw me in.

The main protagonist, Cynthia Bonsant, is an old school journalist in a modern world. ReTweets and Page Likes mean very little to her. She is more interested in understanding how large corporations, like Freemee, can influence society. When tragedy strikes close to home, she is compelled to uncover the truth. I found it is easy to empathise with Cynthia. From a technological standpoint she is often out of her depth, but this just makes her more determined to keep moving forward in her investigation.

Where Cynthia is mistrustful of modern technology, her daughter, Vi, is the polar opposite. Vi is far more pragmatic, she sees her information as a commodity to be bought and sold. If companies and corporations are going to track every detail about an individual, why not reap some benefit. This difference in opinion perfectly illustrates the gap that exists between those who have had to adapt to new technology versus those who have grown up with it. Younger generations are far more willing to accept changes in how we interact digitally.

Novels like Zero highlight the current problems we have with technology. I can’t deny it is often a wonderful thing, but we don’t understand the boundaries of the software and hardware that we have created. How does the right to privacy fit in a world where the vast majority of who you are has become a digital footprint? I work with data and computers every day. I go home, and I continue to interact with computers and data. I wear a smartwatch, I have a smartphone. When I contact my family, it is invariably via Facebook. I order my weekly shopping online. I watch movies via Netflix or Amazon. My life has become intrinsically linked with technology and the Internet. The idea that my data could be used maliciously against me is a sobering thought. Elsberg’s writing drills down into these concerns in his taut narrative. At first glance, a business knowing certain aspects of your life doesn’t seem particularly malicious. It’s only when the potential scale of such analysis is revealed does it take on a far more sinister tone.

All these technological worries make for a fertile breeding ground when it comes to thriller fiction. To an old fossil like myself, concepts like data mining and social engineering sound like the should come from a science fiction movie so why not make this a premise for a novel. Zero is thoroughly entertaining but also just that little bit ominous. I got me thinking about my own place in the digital world. I guess that is the mark of a first-rate thriller, make the plot just grounded enough to ensure the reader remains worried, and slightly paranoid, throughout. If you are looking for an engrossing plot as well as plenty of food for thought than I can recommend you give Zero a try. ...more

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May 10, 2019 Clare O'Beara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-fiction, america-crime, sf, europe-crime, technothriller

This is a technothriller using the premise that monitoring data, be it self-monitoring or otherwise, is catching on and becoming valuable. Firms collecting this data start to try to influence what they monitor, and control people's minds and actions. A mysterious hacker group called Zero is opposed.

The central characters are a female journalist and her teen daughter and that daughter's friends. Of course the younger folks are more with it and are leading the way before the journalist even realis ...more

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Sep 21, 2020 Floris rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, sf

The ideas in this novel really deserved a better writer.

The wholesale exploitation of personal data, pervasive surveillance, and erosion of privacy in our current social media-swamped world provide ample themes and ideas for a profound, philosophically intense, thought-provoking, fascinating book. Sadly, Zero is not that book.

Capitalizing on the succes of Blackout (which is an only slightly better book), Elsberg seems to have gathered up all the ideas and technological possibilities his choice o ...more

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Jun 13, 2014 Gerrit Beine rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, fiction

Hm, it's quite ok, but far away from Blackout.

The story seems to be not really well planned. The perspective on IT is not very realistic. Sometimes IT is described in a very naive way, sometimes IT is allmighty.

See also: Marc Elsberg: Zero on my blog. ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Aga rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia

This book is too preoccupied in presenting/explaining all technology in most 'clickbait-y', shocking and fear-mongering way (parts which I, due to being a professional, mostly skipped out of boredom) to actually come up with an interesting plot. ...more

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Jul 13, 2017 Bibi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book is scary and makes you revaluate your use of social media. It fits in these current times perfectly. The writing is fast paced and highly entertaining.

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Jul 09, 2018 Book Inspector rated it liked it · review of another edition

Living with a complete geek, I learned to love technology. It is kind of mesmerizing how technology is taking over our lives, that is why I was very intrigued by the blurb of this book. After reading the book, I am kind of petrified of how much of our personal data is actually collected without our knowledge… Or maybe because of our ignorance?

The protagonist in this novel is Cynthia, a single mother and investigative journalist, who lives in London. I really liked, how realistic the main charac Living with a complete geek, I learned to love technology. It is kind of mesmerizing how technology is taking over our lives, that is why I was very intrigued by the blurb of this book. After reading the book, I am kind of petrified of how much of our personal data is actually collected without our knowledge… Or maybe because of our ignorance?

The protagonist in this novel is Cynthia, a single mother and investigative journalist, who lives in London. I really liked, how realistic the main character was, she is kind of old-fashioned when it comes to technology, and all the new findings really leave her confused. Also, I liked Cynthia’s personality, I think she was really curious, brave and adventurous. The Author offers a huge variety of characters in this book, representing different sectors and different perspectives, and in some places, I found it difficult to identify who belongs where, but to my luck, there was a handy list of characters at the back of the novel, which helped me.

The narrative was really thought-provoking. Elsberg highlights many aspects of data collection and usage, which really got me thinking. The story is told from multiple perspectives, and that kind of kept my interest going. To enjoy this book, you have to like technology, there is a ton of terms and IT processes being discussed, so if you not into computers, this book will not make sense to you. 🙂 I loved that author chose different settings in this book, incorporating his native town – Vienna. Also, I think, that the author used his knowledge of advertising and influencing people very smartly, and I bet, that the search for smart glasses will increase after reading this book. 😀 (Because I am definitely going to search 😀 )

I enjoyed author’s writing style, for me, it was understandable, action-filled and constantly changing. The whole book was fitted into eight chapters, and for me, they were really long. Even though every chapter shared multiple events, it still kind of dragged to me a sometimes… 😦 (I love my short chapters!) The ending rounded up the story very nicely, but there are so many unanswered questions, that it is kind of bugging me. 😀 I really liked The Circle, and I think with a good director, this book could be a superb movie.

So, to conclude, It is a very well crafted story, which feels kind of futuristic, but when you think about it, most of the things are already happening in one form or another. It is filled with smart characters, plenty of action, and I think it is kind of a wake-up call for all of the people, who are glued to their gadgets and the internet. So, “Hey, parents – do you know what your child is up to? “ Do read this book to find out why, and I hope you will enjoy it. 🙂 ...more

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Apr 22, 2018 Mars Dorian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well researched new-future thriller about companies and governments collecting all of our data and using it to manipulate our lives.

The story is solid and becomes Hollywood-ish toward the end. The prose is solid but lacks style and originality. Still, it's easy to follow and doesn't distract from the plot.

The dialogue is the definition of info-dropping. People only talk to each other to reveal information they should already know: "Remember when we...", "You know that this...", etc.

HAVIN SAID TH ...more

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Aug 16, 2019 Markus Pe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, utopia

Although I knew the facts, the "theoretical" connections and applications blew my mind (and made me even more paranoid - which is a good thing considering todays possibilites) ...more

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Oct 16, 2018 Zoé-lee O'farrell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

I do not want to write this review, I mean I really do not want to write this review….anyone could be watching me!!!! This book has made me rethink a lot of things to do with my phone, social media etc. always being watched by “Big brother”. The information on how we are being watched and glasses that could tell you about another person just by looking at them is just a little bit terrifying!

Freemee, the competitor to Facebook, is a new site you can sign up for, it is a lifestyle app. It can te I do not want to write this review, I mean I really do not want to write this review….anyone could be watching me!!!! This book has made me rethink a lot of things to do with my phone, social media etc. always being watched by “Big brother”. The information on how we are being watched and glasses that could tell you about another person just by looking at them is just a little bit terrifying!

Freemee, the competitor to Facebook, is a new site you can sign up for, it is a lifestyle app. It can tell you what you want to eat, where to go out to, etc, always being told the places to be. This makes it so much easier to be tracked!! Not scary is it!

In the USA, Zero the underground movement, the resistance, shows how easy it is to get close to the President, and that their threat is real, all by the use of technology. They post numerous videos online to show how the technology is affecting our lives, bringing us to investigative reporter Cynthia. Cynthia is a dinosaur in the technology world, she is not interested but she has been told to make it all look “sexy” and that her writing has to go online. Cynthia wears the glasses home and find it exciting, see people and trying to figure them out but then wondering do they have the glasses too? Do they know who I am? She lets her daughter borrow them the next day and whilst being with friends something horrifying happens due to the actions following the glasses being worn. Here start the cat and mouse chase, who is behind Freemee? Who is behind Zero? Why is Cynthia in so much danger?

As mentioned before the book has freaked me out, everything you do is watched and you really do not have anywhere to hide these days, always being tracked. This book plays on this fear that we have in the modern age, we believe we are in control but we are not. Algorithms behind the scenes can preempt our thoughts, wants and needs which is where Freemee comes in to play. I wouldn’t be surprised if something like this is not already underway! (ignoring the ads that pop up when on other sites!) Whilst the technology, I can’t say it is new, is exciting, how it applied is what scares me the most.

The author throws everything at you, and it kept me hooked throughout. This book is very now, with the recent GDPR saga and how the data is collected, so I am glad I had the opportunity to read it. Like a lot of books I read these days, you can not say anything without giving away the plot, and I am sorry, not sorry, it is the same with this book and it does leave a few questions unanswered.

All I can say is, beware of technology….thank god I read the paperback version of this book!!!!!! ...more

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Jun 21, 2017 Lech rated it liked it · review of another edition

I have a feeling that M. Elsberg's book was written as an educational tool rather than for entertainment. There were moments where I found it difficult to grasp the logic (i.e. it wasn't convincing enough for me) and as the plot became denser, quicker at times... I got lost once or twice. All in all it is an interesting read. ...more

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Feb 05, 2018 Tanja rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fast-paced, made me think a lot about our future and how we could prevent a scenario like this (came to the conclusion that we can't)
loved the action bits, although some scenes are a bit far-fetched ...more

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Jul 08, 2018 Ashwini Abhyankar rated it liked it · review of another edition

I was given an e-ARC of the book from the publishers at NetGalley in return of an honest review.

When I requested this book from NetGalley, I wasn’t really sure how it was going to be. I mean, of course, the basics of the plot were there, sort of. I wasn’t aware that this book was already published in German and this was to be a translated edition but that does not really affect my review, I think.

In an age where almost all of our interactions with people or sometimes even businesses with people I was given an e-ARC of the book from the publishers at NetGalley in return of an honest review.

When I requested this book from NetGalley, I wasn’t really sure how it was going to be. I mean, of course, the basics of the plot were there, sort of. I wasn’t aware that this book was already published in German and this was to be a translated edition but that does not really affect my review, I think.

In an age where almost all of our interactions with people or sometimes even businesses with people happen online, this book is sure to connect with people and to a certain degree, it does. The convenience of technology and social media and the integration or rather ingratiation of it in our lives has always been a topic of mixed opinions. In Zero, we are given a darker and more advanced side of the technology we so readily depend on in our daily lives.

The story starts with a bang, that’s for sure. We see a news corporation and are introduced to many characters amongst which Cynthia is shown as our main character. The introduction to Zero is also pretty well done, if I am being honest. There’s that creepy vibe while we are reading that scene, really well done. In this book, the world is almost the same as we live in with just a bit more invasive technology.

In this world, we are told, the confidential information that many companies sometimes steal from us are actually sold willingly from the people themselves for a small profit. The information is then used to promote products and lifestyles according to the information and while that is very convenient and seems fabulous, there are as usual darker sides to the exchange. People forget to be themselves, rather they let themselves be directed by the companies/ firms that they sold information to.

Zero, the movement very much like Anonymous, has been making small waves in the world by then but it makes its presence known in a grand gesture when they control drones to follow the President of the United States and his family. There was no violence but it was not exactly a friendly encounter either. It was a statement from Zero, telling the world that they did have the power to move even further than they seemed capable of.

After this incident, Cynthia is given a crash course in the current technology and it is while she is becoming enlightened that she comes across something that could prove to be fatal for her. There comes a point when her life is in danger and she needs help, to trust someone but who can she trust in a world where people would willingly give up information in return for a little money?

This book scared me a little, I admit it because this does not seem very futuristic, in fact, there are already almost every technology out there like the ones mentioned in the book and there’s also a chance that an app like FreeMee could become part of our reality.

As far as the plot is concerned, it moves at an even pace and there’s so much going on that sometimes it was hard to keep track of it? However, once you manage that you would enjoy the book or be scared by it, depends on the person really. For me, it scared me a bit.

I only gave it three stars because there wasn’t much character development or even a deeper connection that I could find. It’s very important that I connect to the characters in a book no matter how awesome the plot is and that’s where it sort of failed. So, yeah, overall though this book is a bit scary and not really science fiction as much as I wish it was. I totally recommend to those who are interested in science fiction or thriller or mystery. ...more

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Jul 18, 2018 Hayley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

We meet Cyn, a reporter at a small paper who is tasked with researching the huge company behind the hugely successful app provider called Freemee. She is given a pair of smart glasses which she can link to her phone. These glasses can show her an incredible amount of detail about any person at any time. Their name, address, any previous criminal records etc.

The idea behind Freemee is that it will be an all encompassing app for every aspect of your life to help you become the best version of you.
We meet Cyn, a reporter at a small paper who is tasked with researching the huge company behind the hugely successful app provider called Freemee. She is given a pair of smart glasses which she can link to her phone. These glasses can show her an incredible amount of detail about any person at any time. Their name, address, any previous criminal records etc.

The idea behind Freemee is that it will be an all encompassing app for every aspect of your life to help you become the best version of you. Including study tips, tips to find a partner, cooking, cleaning, fashion, fitness, sleep amongst others. All you have to do is sign up and you can sell your own data to improve your profile and get freebies. The idea being that you are in control and can push yourself has little or as much as you want.

The darker side to this is brought to life when an underground movement called Zero launches a video drone attack on the President of the USA. This attack was to highlight how powerful technology is and that the surveillance moguls need to be brought down.

Cyn is given some powerful information about the Freemee company that has the power to bring the company to it's knees. But someone is willing to keep this quiet, no matter what the cost...

This book is one that is definitely very thought provoking, very relevant in today's digital reliant society and actually very scary!

The fact that although the technology in this book is a little ahead of us in terms of the smart glasses etc, the thoughts and ideologies aren't actually out of place in today's society. In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal the methods Elsberg applies in this story not only have been used but have been exploiting the masses for some time. Even with such stories flooding our news feeds people living in modern digital societies are still very (if not too) comfortable giving out data into the ether to make their lives easier.

What will ultimately be the consequences of this? Are we heading for apps such as Freemee in which we will willingly sell our own data with the hope of improving our lives with no thought to the deeper meaning behind them? Would we actually change our personalities because a computer told us it would enhance/improve us? The answer is we are already doing so in some ways. We have smart watches prompting us to aim for 10,000 steps a day, tracking our pulses and giving us hints and tips to a healthier lifestyle. We have personalised ads on our Facebook pages having looked at something on Amazon. Whilst all of this has a positive aspect to it, there is most definitely a darker side to all of the data we are so freely giving away to the conglomerates...

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read Black Out by Elsberg, but have my copy at home waiting to be cracked open!

A chilling 4 star read for me.
...more

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Jun 11, 2018 Anna rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book was like salted caramel with not enough salt. I've finished it but was left with a feeling that it was not what I paid for. I thought for a long time why the book left me disappointed.

"Zero" is a 'technothriller' with the technology of constant surveillance, spying without consent and the abuse and misuse of the big data serving as the 'techno' background. This is just down my alley as these issues are very important to me. Pretty much all the technologies described in the book exist This book was like salted caramel with not enough salt. I've finished it but was left with a feeling that it was not what I paid for. I thought for a long time why the book left me disappointed.

"Zero" is a 'technothriller' with the technology of constant surveillance, spying without consent and the abuse and misuse of the big data serving as the 'techno' background. This is just down my alley as these issues are very important to me. Pretty much all the technologies described in the book exist already (the book was written in 2013). This adds a sense of urgency to the story - guys! this crap is happening now! On that technology Elsberg builds a new social media platform where participants can willingly share - and even be paid for - their (very aggressively collected) data. As a part of the service, the platform offers personalised guidance in all aspects of life: personal, work, family, social. HAL 9000 comes to mind.

This background is well constructed and believable.

The thriller part is supplied by a cast of people caught in the system one way or another: an old school journalist with a teenage daughter, a mysterious whistleblower, groups and organizations that see an advantage in exploiting the platform, others that see it as an extended lab... The story picks up the tempo when one personalised advice goes terribly wrong. Between this and that chase, this and that cliffhanger the plot glides smoothly and soon the story is over, or at least resolved for the key characters.

I don't think the book was not good. I simply remember when the Internet was a communication and exchange tool for the academia. Things have changed since, and the changes brought the marvellous and the most rotten in human nature. Books like these are excellent vehicles to expose the rotten, to promote the marvellous and still spin a good story on top of that. Cory Doctorow can do it, book after book. Plenty of salt in his caramels. Marc Elsberg offers a bland treat I am not so keen on.

This review is for the Polish translation of the German original. English translation is coming mid 2018. ...more

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Dec 09, 2018 Bec rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I read the english translation by Simon Pare.
This book starts out strong, Zero is a very interesting Anonymous type group going after the President with camera drones, imagining it as Trump makes the scene hugely enjoyable. Zero makes a video of the attack & suddenly Zero is the most wanted terrorist organisation in the world.
Cynthia Bonsant is an english journalist from the old days of print, struggling to survive in the new digital media. She was watching the attack from her newsroom at the I read the english translation by Simon Pare.
This book starts out strong, Zero is a very interesting Anonymous type group going after the President with camera drones, imagining it as Trump makes the scene hugely enjoyable. Zero makes a video of the attack & suddenly Zero is the most wanted terrorist organisation in the world.
Cynthia Bonsant is an english journalist from the old days of print, struggling to survive in the new digital media. She was watching the attack from her newsroom at the Daily Mail where her boss had just handed out new smart glasses which everyone is expected to wear & use. Her daughter is hugely excited over the glasses & begs to borrow them, which is when everything starts to go wrong. Her daughter is a user of FreeMee, a kind of facebook plus lifestyle app program that gives you recommendations as well as recording your data. In this new world you yourself have the option of selling your data yourself, rather than FreeMee owning it you do, but they still can look at the data & use it to perfect your fitness, career, school results, whatever you want. Sounds good right, just what we have already but actually designed to help? Well yes & no. And what about Zero? What does he or they have to do with this?
(view spoiler)
...more

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Jan 25, 2019 Elle rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I read the English version of this 'Global Bestseller' and got three quarters the way through before I gave up in disgust. It's a GREAT premise and immensely topical, and I'm not sure if it is the English translation or the original author's style that was the problem.
The story focuses on social media, data collection, privacy (or loss of it) and the way we are being manipulated by the data merchants of the world. The ideas are good but the execution of the story is what I struggled with. I can ...more

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Jun 22, 2018 Siobhan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Zero is a technology-focused thriller about data, privacy, and software trying to change people's lives. Journalist Cynthia Bonsant knows little about technology, but when her daughter is tied up in a criminal chase that results in a friend's death, the answers lead back to Freemee, a lifestyle app that collects users' data and tries to improve their lives. At the same time, mysterious activist Zero is posting videos online warning about data and Freemee. As Cynthia gets caught up further in thi ...more

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Aug 01, 2018 Katherine Reads Books rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Zero is a story of a journalist, Cynthia, who is a single mother to a young adult, Violet. Cynthia is ignorant of social media and technological influence. However, Violet is very much on the button. Violet, like the majority of her peers, is a member of Freeme. Freeme is a social media platform whereby you can gather data on yourself and sell it. Consequently, Freeme places a price on everyone, and this price varies upon many factors, including wealth, social status and employment. Furthermore, ...more

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Jul 30, 2019 Erna Kindli rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another enjoyable and thought-provoking read from Elsberg.
Just like in Blackout, he calls our attention to the dark side of today’s technological development 👌🤓

In Blackout, he picked our dependence on electricity. This time, it’s our tech- and smartphone addiction. He shows the potential risks via a thriller-crime story.

Reality is intertwined with fiction in Zero. The main message is probably that we are not safe from surveillance and manipulation techniques. These always mean power. It’s almost ...more

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Aug 29, 2019 Sara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Zero is a gripping thriller about a very delicate issue we experience today: the oligopoly of a few IT giants and the ever-increasing control on the masses. The audiobook version, read by actor Bradley James (who plays king Arthur in the tv series Merlin) it's even more intriguing. We follow three "sides", all of which have their own mission. The Daily newspapers hunts Zero. Zero wants to destroy the credibility of the social media giants and awaken people. Freemee wants to stop anyone getting i ...more

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Oct 02, 2019 James rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-fiction, cultural

I someone managed to forget this one after a recent book binge, although this wasn't because it was boring, just not groundbreaking. It was a fast paced thriller, capturing the insidious tech companies' language of self-improvement quite accurately, and a good range of characters from imperfect to horrid. My main issue was the bad guys' plan was a bit too much like a James Bond world domination plot, but there was also the oft-ignored contradiction that if everyone is on a platform to self-impro ...more

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May 07, 2020 Koleś rated it liked it · review of another edition

Very good job on putting together different technologies that are being used right now, or might be in the near future. It is very clearly explained how those things work and how they can be used by malicious people and influence our lifes (or are influencing already).

However, the plot itself is very average, it feels that it has been created just as a tool for explaining those technological things and present how they can be dangerous, as a vehicle to get to the point of showing us "see, this c ...more

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Jun 28, 2018 Hannah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, netgalley

If you do a quick Google search of yourself what are the results…? A link to your Facebook page, LinkedIn? An old news article? Images of yourself? Information that any stranger could easily find. How easily have you given away your information? How easily have you been bought? ZERO is based in a future that could become our reality, where people sell their information, stream their lives and follow recommendations from apps to increase their worth. But is it worth it? This is a great read full ...more

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Sep 01, 2017 Marie-paule rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Freeme is an Act App on your mobile. It collects all possible data from you, your friends, people around, any sensor available and analyze these to provide you continuous coaching on everything you do. Ultimate goal is to be more happy, more effectibe, more rich etc. But things start to go wrong: a man dies in the street, and then few other events invite journalist Cynthia to start investigate. Is this paranoia or reality? is this today's world already where google, facebook, twitter and other a ...more

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Mar 31, 2018 Marko rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

A quick read with a lot of contemporary context (as of spring 2018 / Facebook scandal). As with Blackout the setting is fascinating, because it feels just real enough to be convincing and thus horrifying.

The problem with this book is the actual plot which is relatively shallow. The whole story revolves around one side trying to keep a statistical correlation secret which for some reason nobody has discovered yet (except of course a heroine journalist and her stereotypical superhacker sidekick). ...more

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Jun 13, 2018 Erin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-arcs, sci-fi-fantasy, mystery-thriller-suspense

It’s scary to think just how much data is out there that gets sold and used and resold. Like The Circle, this book is also a cautionary tale about the perils of so much technology, and our ever-diminishing right to privacy.

While the content was great and thought provoking, I found it difficult to get into the story. I’m not sure if it was the writing or something getting lost in the translation, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped.

Thank you to Marc Elsberg, Random House (Doubleday) and ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Michael O'Donnell rated it it was ok · review of another edition

An acceptable read that could not be considered good.

This was a diatribe against /description of the Surveillance State. Both commercial and public.

Long descriptions of the tools and methods detracted from the story telling.

The horror and outrage expressed by the main character seemed naive and forced.

There is little new except the impact of freely available facial recognition software.

The social media influence of peoples lives and malevolent manipulation of outcomes is already present and ...more

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Oct 13, 2017 Berenice rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: thrillers

Hm I'm disappointed...
I truly had high expectations and unfortunately I've been deceived.
The initial plot was quite interesting and original but then the author went into detailing stuff that do not catch my interest. The incorporation of too many characters made the story messier. I was often getting lost between them or was bored when the unnecessary characters appeared. It's probably a book which needs to be read twice to fully grasp it but I won't do it anytime soon.
...more

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About Marc Elsberg

Marc Elsberg

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Marc Elsberg is the pseudonym of Marcus Rafelsberger.

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“Schließlich sind da draußen alle auf Menschenjagd. Banken, Kreditkartenfirmen, Supermärkte, Autohersteller, Kleiderproduzenten, alle, Suchmaschinen, so nennen sich manche Internetgiganten sogar.” — 3 likes

“Wir sind ahlt so aufgewachsen. Mobiltelefone und das Internet kamen vor meiner Geburt in die Welt. Eure Generation hat diese Welt für uns gebastelt. Wir waren das nicht. Also regt euch nicht darüber auf.” — 1 likes

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