"A strikingly relevant and compelling suspense novel. With the pace of a thriller and the heart of a drama, Harrison exposes the unseen battles fought in the digital trenches of today's information war." ―Taylor Lorenz, Technology Columnist, The Washington Post
Aim for Neutrality. We Need Better Sources. Anonymity is Fundamental. Keep Developing. These are the core principles of Infopendium. Millions trust the online encyclopedia. But who are the people behind the facts? Morgan Wentworth is an unemployed journalist skirting the edge of eviction in New York City and considering leaving the profession. While researching a freelance article about Infopendium, she meets Alex, a teenage super user hoping to become one of the encyclopedia's powerful administrators. Across the world in Beijing, Nevin is a Chinese-American editor-for-hire who offers "consulting services" to change the content of certain articles at the request of wealthy clients--including the Chinese Communist Party. But Nevin's rule breaking has raised the ire of Ed, an old-timer in Kansas who is determined to protect his beloved website at whatever cost. When Infopendium is attacked and a pandemic disrupts the world, governments, companies, and isolated individuals will struggle for the soul, and the very existence, of humanity's most valuable and vulnerable information source.
"A strikingly relevant and compelling suspense novel. With the pace of a thriller and the heart of a drama, Harrison exposes the unseen battles fought in the digital trenches of today's information war." ―Taylor Lorenz, Technology Columnist, The Washington Post
Aim for Neutrality. We Need Better Sources. Anonymity is Fundamental. Keep Developing. The editors know these principles. The editors follow them--or subvert them--every day. The editors aren't recognized on the street, but they craft the information that is seen on nearly every internet search. Through Infopendium, the ubiquitous, crowd-sourced internet encyclopedia, the editors influence the world.
Freelance journalist Morgan Wentworth, recently laid off from PopFeed News, attends the Global Infopendium Conference in New York expecting a straightforward story to help pay the rent. But the so-called "'pendium people" are full of surprises. PhDs rub shoulders with high school students, all quoting the project's rules and regulations like a second language. Sure, millions of people see the facts curated by these editors, but who really cares about th