Means of Control
Means of Control by Byron Tauby Byron Tau
Shares rank 65 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
People recommend it for a clear, in-depth picture of how the surveillance state works today.
People recommend it for a clear, in-depth picture of how the surveillance state works today.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Deepens understanding of surveillance
“I would recommend “Means of Control” for a more clear picture of how the surveillance state works today.”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Felony charges for citizen deleting phone data at US Border” “this book opened my eyes to even more goings on”
Comment from 8 Jan 2026 in “ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods” In-depth coverage of the topic
“The book "Means of Control" by Byron Tau covers this in great depth.”
Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “Mobile carriers can get your GPS location” “For a deep dive into the topic, I will recommend the book”
Comment from 26 Mar 2026 in “Data is everywhere. The government is buying it without a warrant” Strongly recommended, even to skeptics
“Read Surveillance Valley by Yasha Levine and Means of control by Byron Tau if you want to learn more.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “The Palantir's Stasi Protocols” “Can't recommend these books enough for anyone who is skeptical of the above claim.”
Comment from 15 Apr 2026 in “Stop Flock”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Clifford Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Means of Controlby Byron TauThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
All 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I would recommend “Means of Control” for a more clear picture of how the surveillance state works today.”
“Read Surveillance Valley by Yasha Levine and Means of control by Byron Tau if you want to learn more.”
“Can't recommend these books enough for anyone who is skeptical of the above claim.”
“For a deep dive into the topic, I will recommend the book”
“The book "Means of Control" by Byron Tau covers this in great depth.”
“this book opened my eyes to even more goings on”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.