Little Brother

Technology figures prominently in the novel, and as a motif it reinforces the importance of privacy in a technological setting. Marcus questions the ethics of the technology in his school setting; gait-recognition software, moblogs, and free laptops that come with ads and firewalls are all designed to track students’ movements both online and off. These invasive technologies are mirrored by the DHS’s tracking programs: Fast Track passes that gather information on the user’s travel patterns, surveillance cameras on public streets, and bugs in private citizens’ computers are used to detect abnormal movements from the residents of San Francisco. The ethics of these technologies are blurred as it isn’t always authority figures who misuse technology. Marcus is unethical when he crashes Charlie’s phone with botnets and when he clones and switches RFIDS from people on the street. In each case, the freedom inherent in technology to create or communicate is made powerless by its vulnerability to cyber espionage or authoritarian oversight. When Marcus creates work-arounds for the technology that the school and DHS use to spy on him, he is supporting the idea that privacy is just as important as safety, particularly when that safety is supposedly acquired by security that doesn’t work very well.

Technology also defines the characters; Marcus feels betrayed when technology is used against him and only begins to regain his sense of identity when he creates Xnet. In the privacy of a network that the DHS cannot infiltrate, at least initially, Marcus can be more truly himself. The anonymity in the Xnet setting, where he is free from repercussions and censure, allows him to be more truly himself. Barbara uses technology to amplify her voice in current events. Drew is defined by his career keeping technology secure from hackers. Finally, the DHS uses technology predominantly to spy on and control people, establishing them as antagonists.