The Secrets of Silicon Valley
For decades, Silicon Valley has been considered a central hub of technological innovation. This scenic area of the San Francisco Bay Area is home to Google, Facebook, Apple, and countless other companies that shape the world through innovation. According to The Corbett Report’s provocative documentary “Secrets of Silicon Valley,” that alluring exterior was little more than a smokescreen that concealed a vast conspiracy in plain sight. For these filmmakers, big tech means big trouble.
Below is a shadowy underworld where global surveillance reigns supreme and personal liberties are threatened. They are the true intelligence agency of the U.S. government, and their innovations help monitor our every conversation, purchase, and encounter on social media. They end up destroying our privacy, manipulating our behavior and being able to take complete control of our lives.
That view may seem too apocalyptic to some, but the film grounds its theory in the region’s long and detailed history. Silicon Valley was basically founded by Frederick Terman after World War II. The learned professor and electrical engineer is a key advisor to all branches of the U.S. military and supports their research efforts through the Stanford Research Institute. As detailed in the film, Terman’s contributions have since grown darker and more sinister.
The filmmakers explore many other doubtful points, including the birth of the internet, ties between software company Oracle and the CIA, deals between Google and the NSA, and the parallel rise of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The film’s narrative depicts a complex collaboration between individual billionaires, technology companies and secretive government agencies. This includes a wealth of well-researched and seemingly well-sourced information that will impress even the most ardent skeptic.
The Secrets of Silicon Valley isn’t exactly hoping to turn the tide of the conspiracy, but it conveys a tremendous urgency to expose their misdeeds.
Directed by: James Corbett
