On Privacy: Twenty Lessons to Live By

by Lawrence Cappello

A short, powerful book with twenty lessons on privacy in the information age, each with practical advice on what you can do right now to protect yourself

Living today means most of us must contend with things like workplace surveillance, cyberstalking, ransomware attacks, and facial recognition. But all is not lost when it comes to our privacy, and it is definitely not too late to do something about protecting yours. Written in blunt jargon-free prose, On Privacy defines today’s privacy landscape while also reminding readers of the joys of keeping things to ourselves—that privacy creates space for intimacy, is essential to mental health, and is a fundamental right in a free society.

Explored among the book's 20 brief-but-powerful lessons are concepts like the Nothing-to-Hide Trap, how we become prisoners of our recorded past, and the ways that small data points about us can paint big revealing pictures. Also included are explanations of how Big Brother is in fact real, why we should insist on privacy by design, and how to make ensuring privacy something that is profitable. Each lesson ends with advice on both how to talk about a given aspect of privacy and how to take actionable steps to safeguard yourself. 

On Privacy is small book with a big message about why privacy matters, who profits by invading it, and how best to defend yours in easy, everyday ways.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[CatReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawrence Cappello is a historian specializing in legal and constitutional history and a professor at the University of Alabama; consistent with the topic of his 2025 book On Privacy, he appears to keep a very low public profile.

On Privacy is a brief (160 page) manifesto for the digital age, with many historical references to how privacy is a foundational principle of the US:

The writers of our Constitution took their privacy, and yours, very seriously. Most people don’t know that on day one of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 the framers sealed the doors of Independence Hall to keep out the public, swore a vow of secrecy, and passed a resolution that all notes about their conversations would not be published for fifty years. They weren’t trying to deceive the American people. They believed strongly in transparency and understood that tyrants often wall themselves off from the public when making political decisions. That’s why as soon as the Constitution was finished, they sent the final version to the states, where almost every detail was debated widely in newspapers and sensational ratifying conventions for months on end. But for the Constitution to be written in the first place, titans such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton needed the freedom to voice potentially explosive ideas without fear of political retribution. The framers needed privacy to speak their minds. Without it, they probably would have failed in their task.

He also argues cogently on how big data and omnipresent connectivity drives the attention economy:

all your data, collected across years, is being funneled into large machines that are stitching together a far more revealing portrait of you than you ever agreed to share. Your browser history, your shopping sprees, your social media interactions—they’re subject to what’s called “secondary use.” That’s when data given for one reason is passed off to someone else for entirely different purposes. Machine algorithms using artificial intelligence then cleverly reassemble all your seemingly unrelated information and uncover hidden connections that can expose you to real danger. What danger? In short—it lets strangers screw with your mind and shape your behavior. This fact is backed by an ocean of scientific research: Big data absolutely makes us more susceptible to manipulation. All of us. It doesn’t matter how clever you are. You’re not AI-powered data algorithm clever. Here’s how it works. First, they scavenge your data snippets to home in on basic personal characteristics—your age, gender, education level, income. Soon, they’re able to approximate certain facts about your health. And your relationship status. And sexual preferences. And political views. And how deep your social connections extend...Your “algo” does not have your best interests at heart. Your algo isn’t trying to make you feel good. In fact, your algo often tries to make you angry. Because studies show that when people are angry, they tend to stay glued to their screens longer. Which helps sites generate more revenue. This isn’t some random stranger trying to rile you up. It’s targeted.

Cappello provides many concrete, logical strategies to safeguard privacy. This is a topic I think about a lot, and one reason I'm glad my childhood and teen years happened before the onslaught of social media, smartphones, and omnipresent connectivity.

Further reading:
The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity by Amy Webb
Subprime Attention Crisis by Tim Webb

My statistics:
Book 178 for 2025
Book 2104 cumulatively

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fine little book, you can probably read it in less than an hour. It has next to nothing to offer someone with anything more than a passing interest in the subject, but I got it to have something on hand that I could share with people in order to quickly privacypill them. I'm not sure how successful it would be in that regard but I'll give it a try.

The author obviously faced a difficult challenge; ask 10 people who care about privacy (and especially digital privacy) and you'll get 12 different theses about why it's important. I had my disagreements with some of his editorial decisions, but I respect what he tried to do.

For how little content there is, the ~$20 asking price is definitely a bit ridiculous.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

To the extent that they are aware it is happening, many people take it for granted that some of their personal data is collected and shared, but they may not understand the full implications of how it is being used or that past mistakes have become very difficult to hide for those living in the digital age. On Privacy probably doesn’t go far enough in highlighting the extent to which the accumulation of data and its use in predictive models will impact people’s product choices, their job searches, the prices they pay for goods, and their ability to get or afford insurance or loans, etc., but it does take a thoughtful approach to explaining why privacy matters and general ideas to help safeguard our privacy while still benefiting from modern technology.

With one exception, each chapter is a short 4-5 page essay on one aspect of privacy such as the mental health benefits; the constitutional protections of privacy in America; the reasons that data is so valuable to companies; and the ways government can use surveillance while still protecting privacy (and how it’s important regardless of political affiliation, although each party has its own interest in using our data now too). Almost every essay ends with a restatement of a couple of the main takeaways from the essay and a couple of steps each person can take to limit the use of their data or exercise good privacy practices. It won’t walk you through the steps to turn on the privacy settings on your phone, but it will suggest that you take the time to find out how to do it. It also has a list of resources at the book’s end for more information.

The author explains that apathy is understandable and that it’s difficult to discuss privacy “without…sounding like a conspiracy theorist posting from a bunker somewhere off the grid,” but discussion and action are required to safeguard our freedom.

[Shanti Israni · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent little book that I’d like to hand to everyone who designs digital devices. Privacy impacts us all and is essential for a healthy democracy. I really appreciated the parts on privacy by design how privacy is essential human dignity, creates space for intimacy and is key to mental health. I also loved reading about the organizations working in this space, ties to the constitution, and the references to our homes as a sanctuary — a space where we should most definitely have access to privacy!

I often hear people I know talk about how they’ve simply accepted that they have no privacy and give it away freely. My whole being rejects that. If you’re someone who has made that argument before, pick up this book! Privacy is key for you, for the health of the society you live in, and for those who are coming up after you. This is an important piece, and I highly recommend!

If you have any connections to executives, government/tech leaders, legislators—or PARENTS!—hand this book to them too! We would all be better if we, as a society, chose to implement the principles in this book. It doesn’t have to be so hard. A road to privacy is possible.

[Aidan Keenan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather trite survey that gestures at significant problems without fully articulating them, their implications, or systematic solutions.

While it is a big task to provide a comprehensive overview of privacy, there are gaping holes in the theoretical and legal explanations provided here (no privacy as control, no 14th amendment/substantive due process). The chapter on surveillance capitalism fundamentally mischaracterizes the concept (“the product is you”).

The summary sections cover everything important from the chapters. The privacy protection tips are somewhat interesting but often only tenuously connected to the content of the chapters in which they are included.

Redemption comes in the form of accessibility and engagement of people with little familiarity with privacy (although there is a paradox here: who is buying this book other than people who are invested in privacy and thus already know more than it contains?).

A good coffee table book for virtue signaling, though.

[Kate Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Figuring out how to protect your privacy, while still living a normal life in today’s digital age seems impossible, but Cappello has taken an overwhelming task and created a super user-friendly guide for how to take back our privacy, without radically adjusting our lives. This book was amazing - perfect tips for people of all ages.

[Anggi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is such a great and important short read! It makes me think about how to better safeguard my own privacy while online. It also gives you practical tips to protect your privacy while out and about in the world. He goes in depth into why our privacy is not only important for our safety as a person, but also as a society. So please do check it out!

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucid, concise, and cogent prose, along with helpful "recaps" for every lesson, make this book super-digestible. But more than approachability, I found value in its clear-sighted, useful, and personally-applicable points.

[Gabriel Rojas Hruška · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great primer to anyone new to the topic or refresher for anyone who needs a reference, also refreshingly realistic and relatively expansive for such a short read. To note: it is very US-centric but much of the thoughts broadly nonetheless.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actionable, short lessons for promoting privacy—digital and otherwise.

[Matt Beaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty easy refresher of why privacy matters, what privacy is, and what people can do to keep it.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick primer on privacy. Could have had more nuance and discussion of case law. 3.5 stars

[Mark Danowsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth a quick skim.

Seems ironic to share I engaged with this text but here we are.

[Laura Beam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book I have picked up on and off and read chapters of. It is interesting but does not give much new information on the concepts of privacy.