This book will send a shiver down your spine and leave you glancing over your shoulder. But it is no ghost story. You really are being watched.rnJournalist Stephen Baker takes us to meet the spooks who are watching us, a group he calls the Numerati. They are a growing band of mathematicians and computer scientists tasked with processing the flood of electronic traces we leave behind, to reveal and ultimately influence the wayrnwe shop, vote or even fall in love.rnAs the mathematicians explain to Baker what they are doing and how, it becomes clear that their subjects have little choice about participating in what Baker calls "the mathematical modelling of humanity". As a worker, shopper, voter or blogger, your data is being collected and crunched. Every click of your mouse is fodder for the Numerati.rnThe Numerati don't simply want to know what we are doing -they want to wrest control of our behaviour. A shopper who often uses shopping discount coupons, for instance, might find their supply cut off or find themselves targeted by adverts exploiting their known weakness for Belgianrnchocolates. Voters might receive phone calls calculated to appeal to someone with their particular educational background, area code, children's ages and income. Those who use dating websites will find that the Numerati have chosen their potential mates.
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