The circle
NOVEL
THE CIRCLE
Description
The novel explores the implications of privacy and data protection in a technology-driven society. The story follows Mae Holland, a young woman who begins working at a fictional company called The Circle and quickly finds herself immersed in an environment obsessed with transparency, based on the loss of privacy and connectivity.
The company operates under the idea that "sharing is caring" and that absolute transparency will improve society. However, as the protagonist becomes more involved in the company’s life, a central conflict arises: the invasion of privacy in the name of progress. The Circle promotes technologies that enable people to share every aspect of their lives, down to the smallest detail, eliminating anonymity and weakening personal privacy protection. Wearable surveillance cameras, massive data collection, and activity tracking are daily practices at the company, which claims that absolute knowledge will eradicate social problems.
Through Mae’s evolution, the author criticizes how constant surveillance and information storage serve as tools to manipulate human behavior, create psychological and personal conflicts, and erode free will. The collected data is not only used to improve services but also to control and anticipate people’s decisions, raising ethical dilemmas about consent and the misuse of information.
The novel invites reflection on the tension between technological innovation and individual rights, suggesting that the pursuit of total transparency requires sacrificing the very essence of human nature, personal autonomy and privacy. Moreover, it highlights the responsibility of companies and governments in protecting citizens' data and the need for regulations to ensure that technology is used ethically.
Argument
The Circle, by Dave Eggers, is a novel centered on a young woman who begins working at The Circle, a powerful technology company that dominates the digital world. The company has a mission: to achieve total transparency and eliminate anonymity, promoting the use of social networks, surveillance devices, and mass data collection to create a safer and more efficient society.
As she immerses herself in The Circle’s culture, her life becomes a public showcase where every action and thought are shared online. The company introduces invasive technologies and algorithms that track and store the personal information of millions of users. The core belief is that "secrets are lies" and "privacy is theft" justifying surveillance in the name of the common good.
However, as the young woman’s popularity grows, so does the concern about the dangers of absolute transparency. The story questions the limits of privacy in the digital age, the risks of centralizing information, and how constant exposure can manipulate human behavior.
Through a narrative that blends fascination with technological innovation and a disturbing social critique, The Circle sparks a debate on individual freedom versus total control, warning about the potential consequences of a society obsessed with transparency and the power of data.
Highlighted sentences
“Full transparency would bring full access, and there would be no more not-knowing”
“Every time someone started shouting about the supposed monopoly of the Circle, or the Circle’s unfair monetization of the personal data of its users, or some other paranoid and demonstrably false claim, soon enough it was revealed that that person was a criminal”
“People with ever-more radical ideas about the criminality of privacy”
“Secrets are lies, sharing is caring, privacy is theft”
“Under the guise of having every voice heard, you create mob rule, a filterless society where secrets are crimes”
“And so started the Circle’s own transparency plan, which began with the installation of a thousand SeeChange cameras on campus”
Link to an excerpt from the novel for free distribution (Spanish)
THE CIRCLE by Dave Eggers.
© 2013, Dave Eggers, used by permission of The Wylie Agency (UK) Limited.
© 2014, Javier Calvo Perales for the translation.
Publishing license granted by Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, S.A.U.
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