The Australian Government’s inner-most secrets are hacked into and published for all to see.

Deeply humiliated, the government will stop at nothing to find and stop the hackers, and need to do so before their international reputation is shredded beyond repair.

Kittehsaurus Rox are the online activist group who take it upon themselves to divulge government secrets.

“The government is spying on everyone. But who is spying on the government?”

The book poses questions: What happens when no one is safe and nothing is sacred? How unsafe is it to merely expose the truth of things to those who believe they have a right to know?

Kat Sharpe is a journalist with an interest in social media, a firm idea of where her future lies and the gumption to back herself.

If life has taught her anything it is the importance of managing secrets and that everybody has them.

Kat Sharpe becomes the conduit for Kittehsauraus Rox, launching her into the media spotlight.

Veldtech Industries are a cybersecurity company poised to cash in on the government’s embarrassment. However, those who protect the vulnerable must make sure to keep their own weaknesses well shielded.

Veldtech, staffed by high fliers, plays at the top end of town. In the internet age where access to information is available to all, providing a never-before-seen ability to connect and share with others, some things remain the same.

Governments need secrets, cybersecurity companies need contracts, and aspiring social media experts need community outrage.

Moral accountability is demanded most loudly from those with the shakiest personal ethics. The things that matter are sometimes those least expected.

The truth, it would seem, is the thing that must be hidden above all else. But as Kat comes to see, the truth itself can be a tricky concept to nail down.

Reputations are important. The government has a public one, cybersecurity companies succeed or fail on theirs, journalists construct theirs carefully, anyone with ambition tend theirs scrupulously.

The internet and social media have the power to manipulate reputations in ways never before imagined. The lengths that companies and governments will go to in order to protect themselves, the price paid for security is the subject matter of this ‘racy’ hacktivist novel.

SURVEILLANCE

Bernard Keane

Allen & Unwin