Bombarded

A powerful assessment of how online information became unreliable—and what can be done about it.
—Kirkus Reviews

"Cyrus Krohn is the best possible tour guide for how we got to where we are in terms of crossing the dual trip-wires of politics and digital. I worked with Cyrus. I have never disagreed with him more than I do on some key aspects of this book--and that is exciting! When two longtime friends and business partners come to a fork in the code to see our country saved, that’s going to lead to a great read. I will guarantee this: you will know your digital/political past after you read this, and you will be better able to control your future. If Cyrus is right, you may, in fact, be able to help save the world."
—Todd Herman, Conservative Talk Radio and Guest Host of The Rush Limbaugh Show

“If you’re hunkered down in your basement, trying to shield yourself from disinformation, data harvesting, deep fakes and micro-targeting, read this book. Digital political strategist Cyrus Krohn will scare you with his inside look at all the digital mayhem bombarding us and our democracy, but he says citizens can fight back – and he offers a “five-step program” to do just that. In a world of lies and fake news this book rings true.”
—Jill Dougherty, Former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief

“In Bombarded, tech and politics veteran Cyrus Krohn makes a number of innovative proposals for restoring democracy at a time when it is uniquely under threat from digital disinformation. Developed by a leader in the field who has travelled through many of the institutions at the heart of the crisis, Bombarded should win praise on both sides of the aisle for its creative and pragmatic approach to the pressing problems that threaten the 21st century.”
—Daniel Kreiss, Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

”Cyrus Krohn is a clear-eyed warrior from the generation that built the internet and the shiny objects in the digital infospace that changed the way we consume media, make buying decisions and learn about politicians. This lively history of good intentions, blinder-vision, capitalists and tribal thinking is a warning and call to action even more relevant in this age of COVID-19 for elected officials, students of history, fans of science fiction, journalist, and anyone who wants to be a citizen activist to help fight the chaos in the digital infosphere.”
—Karen Jagoda, Co-Founder, E-Voter Institute and host of DigitalPoliticsPodcast.com

"Cyrus Krohn's journey from the White House to pioneering Internet strategy for Microsoft equips him with an arresting view on the future of digital political strategy."
—Chris Widener, New York Times Bestselling Author

"A source you can trust is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find, lucky to have. In an age when toxic messaging comes disguised as friends and family, Cyrus Krohn is a man you can trust. He has spent decades in the digital trenches, and has written a bracing intellectual guidebook that explains the unexplainable. He pulls back a complex, disturbing shroud, revealing how technology has vitally connected humanity, but has concurrently created opportunities to provoke hate, mistrust, gas-lighting and political ill-gain; and has surreptitiously dissolved the aspiration to critically think. The insights and common truths herein have never been more relevant, and in sharing what he knows, Cyrus moves our national discussion forward, back towards an honest equilibrium.
—Richard Bangs, Internet pioneer, American author and television personality focusing on international travel

"The Internet has a history and a future. Like it’s forerunner, the printed word, it can be used for good or ill – and has been used for both, with astonishing consequences. It can be enlightening, scary, addictive, troubling, fun, useful, powerful, and harmful. It has certainly changed the way we live and think. Cyrus Krohn is both a scholar of the Internet and a longtime inside player. His experience and insight offer a roadmap for understanding, interpreting, and going forward with perhaps the most influential factor of the last 125 years."
— Margo Howard, author, journalist and the “Dear Prudence” advice columnist at Slate.com