# The Transparent Society by David Brin

3 Hacker News commenters recommended The Transparent Society by David Brin and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as an early, thoughtful treatment of surveillance and privacy, with readers pointing to its ideas on how transparency could shape power and personal privacy.

## Why people recommend it

- Covers surveillance implications extensively (1 comments): "he covers the implications of this idea extensively in The Transparent Society" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46295093))
- Prescient on transparency and privacy (1 comments): "David Brin was on to something with "The Transparent Society"" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041512))
- Author is a persuasive deep thinker (1 comments): "he's a deeper thinker and more persuasive than I am" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48409146))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 recommend
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465027903?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780465027903) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Transparent Society by David Brin", https://hackerapproved.com/p/transparent-society/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).