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In Absence of Fear Celeste Chaney 9780996824309 Books

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After years of terrorist attacks, murders and kidnappings, citizens of the State vote to enact the Protector Program. A predictive policing system, it signals the dawn of the New Era. Passive iD chips are implanted in every citizen's wrist, providing convenience and protection.

The chips enable users to unlock homes, start cars, transact in stores, and monitor their health. They also collect data. Specially designed risk prediction algorithms parse and analyze user data to predict individual levels of threat, aiding the predictive policing program and eradicating crime in most cities.

Marus Winde has worked for the State's Intelligence Annex since the inception of the New Era. As Senior Algorithm Architect, no one is more dedicated to the predictive policing program. No one has greater trust in its proficiencies.

That is, until his young son vanishes inexplicably in broad daylight in the safest city in the world.

As Marus works to reconcile the program's deficiencies and unravel the mystery of his son's disappearance, he discovers that the system he helped build is not only imperfect, but corruptible, and that even the greatest of technological advancements can't replicate human intuition.

IN ABSENCE OF FEAR is the vividly imagined, breathtaking debut novel by Celeste Chaney that explores the role technology plays in our lives. Is it our servant, or are we its slaves? Examining themes of privacy, family, love and patriotism, this remarkably gripping story has been called "the '1984' for the post-Snowden era."

In Absence of Fear Celeste Chaney 9780996824309 Books

Our society is marching blindly and willingly towards a future where everything we do, everything we say, and everything we write is collected and recorded for all time. We are losing our privacy at an astonishing rate.

It is this exact scenario that underlies the plot of an excellent book In Absence of Fear by Celeste Chaney. The book begins with Marus, a senior algorithm architect for the Predictive Policing Program, experiencing the horror of the kidnapping of his son. There are two reasons why this event is particularly remarkable in the New Era as described in the book:

Marus is a Protector, who's focus is to build the most sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) engine to predict all types of crime before it happens. The aim is to prevent all crime.The city where Marus lives is extremely heavily monitored. All people have ID chips physically inserted into their bodies. Across the city there are thousands of ID sensors that track a user's every movement. How could his son disappear without a trace?

The system that Marus is building aims to track all voice calls, emails, browser history, meta data and content. All of this data is tagged to individual user profiles. The ID sensors assist by allowing the collection of offline behaviors such as the user's social circles, purchases, media consumption, employment status and daily routines. The system then uses sophisticated algorithms to predict if a user is likely to be of concern to society. In the case of the kidnapping, the system should be able to predict the crime before it happens by analyzing a user's behavior such as noticing that they are scoping out an area that they don't usually visit.

As Marus investigates the disappearance of his son, he slowly uncovers the true nature of the system he is building for the state. There is one particularly unsettling scene after the kidnapping where Marus is walking from his home to his office. As he passes each advertising billboard it correctly identifies a product for a different need he has. He hasn't been sleeping well (as highlighted by his centrally monitored Lifewatch statistics), so a billboard advertises sleeping pills to him. Another billboard promotes a funeral service for him related to the Lifewatch statistics of his son. Before the kidnapping Marcus believed this was a very efficient and beneficial service linking his behaviors to advertising and products he needs. After the kidnapping he is not so sure.

We all know there are parts of the world where citizens live under an authoritarian regime. In these countries, dystopian novels such as 1984 by George Orwell where tracking and monitoring is being forced on people by a cruel and authoritarian regime probably feels about right. But in our modern western liberal democracy, the reality of 1984 feels too foreign.

This is where In Absence of Fear really hits the mark. The society is clean and tidy, convenient and safe. The state uses a subtle combination of fear and efficiency to lure the population into supporting complete tracking of their behavior, without them really knowing (or caring) they are being controlled. They are coached into believing that giving up all of their information to stop crime, improve their health and benefit society is simply the right thing to do. The book's key message is that we are being coaxed by free and convenient services and for the protection of our families, into just giving up all data without really thinking about it, or protesting about it. Whether its to the government or services such as Google or Facebook, we seem at ease with handing over our personal data because we are told it is simply the right thing to do.

Product details Paperback 359 pages Publisher Corner Canyon Press (November 5, 2015) Language English ISBN-10 0996824308

Tags : In Absence of Fear [Celeste Chaney] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. After years of terrorist attacks, murders and kidnappings, citizens of the State vote to enact the Protector Program. A predictive policing system,Celeste Chaney,In Absence of Fear,Corner Canyon Press,0996824308,privacy; technology; mass surveillance,Fiction Dystopian
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In Absence of Fear Celeste Chaney 9780996824309 Books Reviews

Ripped through this novel in a weekend. It wastes no time jumping head first into a mystery that you really don't want to put down, nor will you predict. Chaney's writing is drenched in energy and illustrations but never gets too heady for its own good. Her command of the subject of surveillance is enchanting. Paired with the social and political implications we deal with in a modern society, nothing seems far-fetched. It fact, a specific few moments will make the pit of your stomach drop at their relevancy. Such a great commentary on our times. With Orwellian themes drastically overused in pop culture, we've encountered these themes many times before nothing about this book feels stale. Chaney even winks a few times to the reader to let you know she's aware of the territory upon which she's writing. You deeply care for the characters the moment you meet them and to me that's the most important thing above all else. A smart AND relevant thriller for culture easily handing over its freedoms one device at a time. This book will have legs for a long time to come.
A well crafted vision of the near future when predictive policing algorithms enable the state to eliminate street crime. There's an absence of fear in a society where everyone is safe from Street crime. But the downside is that privacy is gone. Cameras and sensors are everywhere recording not just your presence, but your temperature, blood-pressure, who you're talking with etc. The cameras follow you right into your home.

And while you are safe from Street crime, white-collar crime is more vicious, and implacable than ever. The book explores this downside in a taut, fast paced race against total domination.

If you liked 1984 or a A Brave New World, you will enjoy this.

A great read.
As a voracious reader with a broad range of interests, especially about how technology affects society, I was pleased to discover the novel In Absence of Fear (IAoF) by Celeste Chaney. As we are constantly bombarded by hundreds of e-mails a day while trying to sort thru the media’s incessant, daily darts at our eyes and ears, I was fascinated by the questions that IAoF raises, mulls, and in some instances resolves what will our high-tech future be like, say in 100 years?
As a Stanford-trained computer scientist and practicing engineer and programmer for many years, I love pondering the ways and degree to which human interactions are affected by technology. Certainly tech brings convenience, constant information access, and ubiquitous communication, but can tech make us better parents, or more caring spouses, or more supportive friends? Can tech eliminate crime, or improve government, or raise political engagement levels above our country’s pathetic levels, where fewer than 60% of U. S. citizens vote?
Marus and Shey are IAoF’s protagonists – a post-modern couple whose son Cade has disappeared under frightening circumstances. In the IAoF future, Chaney envisions a society where crime has nearly been eliminated because everyone is not only being watched, tracked, and monitored continuously, most people do so willingly in exchange for an illusion of safety and security. But as the IAoF reader soon discovers, not all is well in such a future. Chaney crafts frequent scenes in which the reader can reflect both upon the benefits and potential (and actual) downsides of tech.
IAoF is well organized the plot flows effortlessly between the novel’s five sections and 29 chapters. Tech readers like me will appreciate the accurate depiction of the software development process, as protagonist Marus is part of the State’s top echelon of software developers, improving upon his employer’s ability to monitor the present, and (creepily) to predict the future.
But as much as I was taken in by the “what if” tech scenarios replete in IAoF, I was equally fascinated by Chaney’s exploration of the evolution of human relationships in a futuristic tech society. In most cases, this IAoF reader concluded that human behavior won’t be all that much different, even 100 years hence. I especially enjoyed the way Chaney portrayed the complex and nuanced relationship between Marus and Shey (husband and wife) as they process the consequences of their son’s violent disappearance, both individually and as a couple.
IAoF also deftly sketches scenes where human “wet” processes are valuable. Even in the IAoF future, computers are still not able to mimic all human processes, such as intuition, emotion, and inspiration. I was pleased to see Chaney’s characters recognize this “Intuition. Trust. Faith. Seems we’ve all forgotten what those are.” “Trust your gut; it will get you there.” In my view, one of the main conclusions of IAoF is powerfully summarized by Emery, whose leadership Marus and Shey learn to trust “Engineers, scientists, technologists – have to make things right … we’re the only ones who can. We have to take responsibility for our work.” Even if that might mean (someday) NOT bringing certain technologies to market because of the imminent harm they could cause humanity, or because humanity’s ethical and moral compass would spin unmoored under such influences. We just may not be ready for every possible future.
Finally, as a “wordie,” I thoroughly enjoyed Chaney’s many artistic turns of phrase throughout IAoF “Another beautiful day, expertly rendered;” “The tediously carved credenza;” “A narrow, well-groomed trail wound them through the woods and over a considerable creek to a large boulder flecked with orange and black lichen.” For this reader, IAoF had it all a topic worth pondering, a driving story line, and well-crafted sentences. A most enjoyable read, and an author to follow.
Our society is marching blindly and willingly towards a future where everything we do, everything we say, and everything we write is collected and recorded for all time. We are losing our privacy at an astonishing rate.

It is this exact scenario that underlies the plot of an excellent book In Absence of Fear by Celeste Chaney. The book begins with Marus, a senior algorithm architect for the Predictive Policing Program, experiencing the horror of the kidnapping of his son. There are two reasons why this event is particularly remarkable in the New Era as described in the book

Marus is a Protector, who's focus is to build the most sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) engine to predict all types of crime before it happens. The aim is to prevent all crime.The city where Marus lives is extremely heavily monitored. All people have ID chips physically inserted into their bodies. Across the city there are thousands of ID sensors that track a user's every movement. How could his son disappear without a trace?

The system that Marus is building aims to track all voice calls, emails, browser history, meta data and content. All of this data is tagged to individual user profiles. The ID sensors assist by allowing the collection of offline behaviors such as the user's social circles, purchases, media consumption, employment status and daily routines. The system then uses sophisticated algorithms to predict if a user is likely to be of concern to society. In the case of the kidnapping, the system should be able to predict the crime before it happens by analyzing a user's behavior such as noticing that they are scoping out an area that they don't usually visit.

As Marus investigates the disappearance of his son, he slowly uncovers the true nature of the system he is building for the state. There is one particularly unsettling scene after the kidnapping where Marus is walking from his home to his office. As he passes each advertising billboard it correctly identifies a product for a different need he has. He hasn't been sleeping well (as highlighted by his centrally monitored Lifewatch statistics), so a billboard advertises sleeping pills to him. Another billboard promotes a funeral service for him related to the Lifewatch statistics of his son. Before the kidnapping Marcus believed this was a very efficient and beneficial service linking his behaviors to advertising and products he needs. After the kidnapping he is not so sure.

We all know there are parts of the world where citizens live under an authoritarian regime. In these countries, dystopian novels such as 1984 by George Orwell where tracking and monitoring is being forced on people by a cruel and authoritarian regime probably feels about right. But in our modern western liberal democracy, the reality of 1984 feels too foreign.

This is where In Absence of Fear really hits the mark. The society is clean and tidy, convenient and safe. The state uses a subtle combination of fear and efficiency to lure the population into supporting complete tracking of their behavior, without them really knowing (or caring) they are being controlled. They are coached into believing that giving up all of their information to stop crime, improve their health and benefit society is simply the right thing to do. The book's key message is that we are being coaxed by free and convenient services and for the protection of our families, into just giving up all data without really thinking about it, or protesting about it. Whether its to the government or services such as Google or Facebook, we seem at ease with handing over our personal data because we are told it is simply the right thing to do.