Celeste Chaney is an American author and filmmaker. Her debut novel In Absence of Fear examines what it means to be human in a world of algorithmic absolutism and considers the risks society faces by succumbing to fear and choosing protection over privacy. Can a mass surveillance state truly remain a democratic one? Foreword Reviews gave In Absence of Fear an honorable mention at the 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards. Chaney's writing has been recognized by Writer's Digest and featured in CATALYST and The New York Times Magazine. Her forthcoming screenplay The Feed is in development with Passage Pictures. She lives in a small mountain community outside of Salt Lake City, UT—just 15 minutes from the NSA's largest data center—with her husband and young son.