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Cyber Privacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care
You’re being tracked.
Amazon, Google, Facebook, governments. No matter who we are or where we go, someone is collecting our data: to profile us, target us, assess us; to predict our behavior and analyze our attitudes; to influence the things we do and buy—even to impact our vote.
If this makes you uneasy, it should.
We live in an era of unprecedented data aggregation, and it’s never been more difficult to navigate the trade-offs between individual privacy, personal convenience, national security, and corporate profits. Technology is evolving quickly, while laws and policies are changing slowly.
You shouldn’t have to be a privacy expert to understand what happens to your data.
April Falcon Doss, a privacy expert and former NSA and Senate lawyer, has seen this imbalance in action. She wants to empower individuals and see policy catch up.
In Cyber Privacy, Doss demystifies the digital footprints we leave in our daily lives and reveals how our data is being used—sometimes against us—by the private sector, the government, and even our employers and schools. She explains the trends in data science, technology, and the law that impact our everyday privacy. She tackles big questions: how data aggregation undermines personal autonomy, how to measure what privacy is worth, and how society can benefit from big data while managing its risks and being clear-eyed about its cost.
It’s high time to rethink notions of privacy and what, if anything, limits the power of those who are constantly watching, listening, and learning about us.
This book is for readers who want answers to three questions: Who has your data? Why should you care? And most important, what can you do about it?
Amazon, Google, Facebook, governments. No matter who we are or where we go, someone is collecting our data: to profile us, target us, assess us; to predict our behavior and analyze our attitudes; to influence the things we do and buy—even to impact our vote.
If this makes you uneasy, it should.
We live in an era of unprecedented data aggregation, and it’s never been more difficult to navigate the trade-offs between individual privacy, personal convenience, national security, and corporate profits. Technology is evolving quickly, while laws and policies are changing slowly.
You shouldn’t have to be a privacy expert to understand what happens to your data.
April Falcon Doss, a privacy expert and former NSA and Senate lawyer, has seen this imbalance in action. She wants to empower individuals and see policy catch up.
In Cyber Privacy, Doss demystifies the digital footprints we leave in our daily lives and reveals how our data is being used—sometimes against us—by the private sector, the government, and even our employers and schools. She explains the trends in data science, technology, and the law that impact our everyday privacy. She tackles big questions: how data aggregation undermines personal autonomy, how to measure what privacy is worth, and how society can benefit from big data while managing its risks and being clear-eyed about its cost.
It’s high time to rethink notions of privacy and what, if anything, limits the power of those who are constantly watching, listening, and learning about us.
This book is for readers who want answers to three questions: Who has your data? Why should you care? And most important, what can you do about it?
300 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2020
65 people are currently reading
2043 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 22, 2020
I selected "Cyber Privacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care" by April Falcon Doss because I am a data scientist myself and I wanted to see to what extent the author shares the power of data. After reading the book I can say the author has done a pretty good job.
I don't want to share much about the content, for that you can refer blurb or others' review. But the author has taken proper ways including historical importance and implementations to explain things. Starting from most common and more specific I.e. individual data theft (I.e. financial information), to more information-driven such as your likes & dislikes. Everything can be derived easily.
But it is also equally difficult not to leave a trail behind. Every damn digital thing we do leave footprints behind. Let's say you don't use a smartphone or even a phone. But the content you watch on your television leaves a trace behind. Examples are many I have quoted only one. Many such examples and few steps to reduce risk at your side were quoted in this book. As the author is a lawyer you will also find many citations of cyber law.
Am sure opening the book, language is somewhat semi-technical at places. But enjoyable read which deserves 4 out of 5.
I don't want to share much about the content, for that you can refer blurb or others' review. But the author has taken proper ways including historical importance and implementations to explain things. Starting from most common and more specific I.e. individual data theft (I.e. financial information), to more information-driven such as your likes & dislikes. Everything can be derived easily.
But it is also equally difficult not to leave a trail behind. Every damn digital thing we do leave footprints behind. Let's say you don't use a smartphone or even a phone. But the content you watch on your television leaves a trace behind. Examples are many I have quoted only one. Many such examples and few steps to reduce risk at your side were quoted in this book. As the author is a lawyer you will also find many citations of cyber law.
Am sure opening the book, language is somewhat semi-technical at places. But enjoyable read which deserves 4 out of 5.
October 24, 2020
This is a book about pervasive data collection and its implications. The author, April Falcon Doss, is a lawyer who spent 13 years at the US National Security Agency (NSA), itself an organization controversial for phone-tapping and other covert surveillance practices. Disturbing though that is, one of Doss’s observations is that “in democratic countries … the government doesn’t have nearly as much data as private companies do.” She argues that government-held data is less troubling since its usage is well regulated, unlike privately held data – though these safeguards do not apply in authoritarian regimes.
Government use then is just one piece of something much bigger, the colossal amount of personal data gathered on so much of what we do, our buying habits, what we search for on the internet, our health, our location, our contacts, tastes and preferences, all tracked, stored, and used in ways that we might not expect. Most of the book simply describes what is happening, and this will be eye-opening to anyone who has not followed the growth of data collection and its use in marketing and advertising over the last twenty years or so. Doss describes how a researcher analyzed his iPhone activity and found that "within seven days, the phone had exported data via 5,400 hidden app trackers." - and Google's Android is even worse.
How much do we care and how much should we care? Doss looks at this question which to me is of particular interest. We like getting stuff for free, like social media, search, maps and directions; but how aware are we of hidden costs like compromised privacy and would we be willing to pay in other ways? Studies on the subject are contradictory; humans are not very logical on the matter, and it depends exactly how the trade-off between privacy and cost is presented. The tech giants know this and in general we easily succumb to the temptation to hand over personal information when signing up for free services.
Doss makes some excellent and succinct points, as when she writes that “privacy policies offer little more than a fig leaf of user notice and consent since they are cumbersome to read, difficult to understand, and individuals have few alternatives when it comes to using the major digital platforms.” She also takes aim at well-intended but ineffective cookie legislation – which have given rise to the banners you see, especially in the EU, inviting you to accept all manner of cookies when you visit a web site for the first time. “A great deal of energy and attention has gone into drafting and implementing cookie notice laws,” she says. “But it is an open question whether anyone’s privacy has actually increased.”
She also observes that we are in uncharted territory. “It turns out that all of us have been unwitting participants in a multifaceted, loosely designed program of unregulated research,” she writes.
Personally I agree that the issue is super-important and deserves more attention than it gets, so I am grateful for the book. There are a couple of issues though. One is that the reason personal data gathering has escalated so fast is that we’ve seen benefits – like free services and personalisation of advertising which reduces the amount of irrelevant material we see – but the harms are more hidden. What are the harms? Doss does identify some harms, such as reduced freedom in authoritarian regimes, or higher prices for things like Uber transport when algorithms decide what offers to show based on our willingness to pay. I would like to have seen more attention paid though to the most obvious harm of the moment, the fact that abuse of personal data and social media may have resulted in political upheavals like the election of Donald Trump as US president, or the result of the Brexit referendum in the UK. Whatever your political views, those who value democracy should be concerned; Doss gives this matter some attention but not as much as it merits, in my opinion.
Second, the big question is what can be done; and here the book is short of answers. Doss ends up arguing that we have passed the point of no return in terms of data collection. “The real challenge lies in creating sufficient restrictions to rein in the human tendency to misuse information for purposes that we’ve collectively decided are unacceptable in society,” she writes, acknowledging that how we do so remains an open question.
She says that her ambitions for the book become more modest as the research continued, ending with the hope that she has provided “a catalogue of risks and relevant questions, along with a useful framework for thinking about the future” which “may spark further, future discussions.”
Fair enough, but I would like to have seen more practical suggestions. Should we regulate more? Should Google or Facebook be broken up? As individuals, does it help if we close social media accounts and become more wary about the data that we give away?
Nevertheless I welcome this thought-provoking book and hope that it does help to stimulate the future debate for which the author hopes.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this ebook from the publishers for review
Government use then is just one piece of something much bigger, the colossal amount of personal data gathered on so much of what we do, our buying habits, what we search for on the internet, our health, our location, our contacts, tastes and preferences, all tracked, stored, and used in ways that we might not expect. Most of the book simply describes what is happening, and this will be eye-opening to anyone who has not followed the growth of data collection and its use in marketing and advertising over the last twenty years or so. Doss describes how a researcher analyzed his iPhone activity and found that "within seven days, the phone had exported data via 5,400 hidden app trackers." - and Google's Android is even worse.
How much do we care and how much should we care? Doss looks at this question which to me is of particular interest. We like getting stuff for free, like social media, search, maps and directions; but how aware are we of hidden costs like compromised privacy and would we be willing to pay in other ways? Studies on the subject are contradictory; humans are not very logical on the matter, and it depends exactly how the trade-off between privacy and cost is presented. The tech giants know this and in general we easily succumb to the temptation to hand over personal information when signing up for free services.
Doss makes some excellent and succinct points, as when she writes that “privacy policies offer little more than a fig leaf of user notice and consent since they are cumbersome to read, difficult to understand, and individuals have few alternatives when it comes to using the major digital platforms.” She also takes aim at well-intended but ineffective cookie legislation – which have given rise to the banners you see, especially in the EU, inviting you to accept all manner of cookies when you visit a web site for the first time. “A great deal of energy and attention has gone into drafting and implementing cookie notice laws,” she says. “But it is an open question whether anyone’s privacy has actually increased.”
She also observes that we are in uncharted territory. “It turns out that all of us have been unwitting participants in a multifaceted, loosely designed program of unregulated research,” she writes.
Personally I agree that the issue is super-important and deserves more attention than it gets, so I am grateful for the book. There are a couple of issues though. One is that the reason personal data gathering has escalated so fast is that we’ve seen benefits – like free services and personalisation of advertising which reduces the amount of irrelevant material we see – but the harms are more hidden. What are the harms? Doss does identify some harms, such as reduced freedom in authoritarian regimes, or higher prices for things like Uber transport when algorithms decide what offers to show based on our willingness to pay. I would like to have seen more attention paid though to the most obvious harm of the moment, the fact that abuse of personal data and social media may have resulted in political upheavals like the election of Donald Trump as US president, or the result of the Brexit referendum in the UK. Whatever your political views, those who value democracy should be concerned; Doss gives this matter some attention but not as much as it merits, in my opinion.
Second, the big question is what can be done; and here the book is short of answers. Doss ends up arguing that we have passed the point of no return in terms of data collection. “The real challenge lies in creating sufficient restrictions to rein in the human tendency to misuse information for purposes that we’ve collectively decided are unacceptable in society,” she writes, acknowledging that how we do so remains an open question.
She says that her ambitions for the book become more modest as the research continued, ending with the hope that she has provided “a catalogue of risks and relevant questions, along with a useful framework for thinking about the future” which “may spark further, future discussions.”
Fair enough, but I would like to have seen more practical suggestions. Should we regulate more? Should Google or Facebook be broken up? As individuals, does it help if we close social media accounts and become more wary about the data that we give away?
Nevertheless I welcome this thought-provoking book and hope that it does help to stimulate the future debate for which the author hopes.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this ebook from the publishers for review
September 10, 2021
There's a lot about threats to digital privacy, but almost nothing about how to protect your privacy. Its goal is to raise awareness of privacy issues so you can appeal to the government to protect privacy, rather than telling you what you can do to guard your data. It's very informative, explaining how privacy concepts have developed in America and other nations.
According to Doss, the goal of the book is to
Doss has worked in data, tech, and privacy for nearly 20 years. She worked at the NSA in the early 2000, and was chair of the cybersecurity and privacy practice at a large law firm.
Notes
Categories of Data, and How It’s Collected
HIPAA's privacy protections only apply to defined categories of protected health information (PHI), and only to "covered entities" (specific categories of businesses, such as hospitals, medical practices, health insurers and their business associates). Other health-related data isn't covered by HIPAA, including fitness devices and apps.
The Privacy Prism: A Single Term with Many Dimensions
4th Amendment protects people, not property.
What’s It to You? Understanding What Privacy Is Worth
Google, Facebook, etc. should tell users, "'Free' means we're offering you the use of our service at no cost in exchange for mining, and perhaps selling to others, comprehensive data about what you have, what you do, who you are, and what you think, believe, and know."
The Big 4: Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon
From 10 likes, Facebook knows you better than your co-workers do. From 70 likes, Facebook knows you better than your roommates and real-life friends do. From 150 likes, Facebook knows you better than your family does. From 300 likes, Facebook knows you better than your spouse does.
Minority Report: The Algorithms Making Predictions About Your Current Mental Health, Your Future Medical Conditions, and the Likelihood That You’ll Commit a Crime
AI is broad term for software that can make smart decisions and control devices in smart ways, based on programmed routine. Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of AI in which software teaches itself based on given data.
The US Intelligence Community Post-WWII: Just Because You’re Paranoid Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Watching You
US has one of most carefully scrutinized, intensely overseen, remedy-rich approaches to government surveillance. US is more open and public about its eavesdropping and data analysis than most nations.
Community Policing: All Surveillance Is Local
Researchers only need 4 data points to re-identify 95% of people from mobile phone location data that has been anonymized (stripped of personally-identifiable data such as name, address, phone number).
Saying "get a warrant" for every type of data that could be misused undermines legitimate security goals. Instead, we must define when, why, how government can access data, how it can be used, how use will be overseen, and what consequences of misuse will be.
"There are still legitimate and pressing national security and law enforcement challenges and there are legally and ethically sound reasons why government needs to have data collection and analysis tools." We need to support legitimate government needs while protecting individuals from overly intrusive over abusive data collection and use. "We should be on guard for intrusion but sidestep paranoia … 'trust but verify' should be the motto of every American."
A Brief European (De-)Tour, or Is Being Forgotten Really a Right?
European nations wiretap their citizens for national security and law enforcement purposes, collect emails (metadata and content), and access digital devices and accounts of individuals they perceive as potential threats.
"The United States has in place far stronger safeguards and privacy-protection mechanisms than most European nations do." In many European nations, judicial review of surveillance requests isn't necessary, or judiciary isn't a separate branch of government than agencies requesting approval. Parliamentary bodies are more likely to endorse whatever surveillance laws their party's leadership wants, while in the US, Congress serves as a stumbling block to administrations that may want privacy-intrusive surveillance laws. Parliamentary oversight is often less meaningful than US Congressional oversight. Many European nations have state ownership of, or investment in, communications infrastructure. In US, communications infrastructure is primarily owned by private companies, which are more likely to resist government surveillance.
Quantum Policy, or How a New Approach to Law and Policy Could Give Cyber Privacy a Fighting Chance
Privacy protections always involve trade-offs (reduced access to targeted advertising, fewer tools for legitimate national security purposes and law enforcement investigations, less-public access to info about a person's past, etc.).
Section 230 of Communications Decency Act has shielded platforms from accountability for hosting false, defamatory, harmful, intrusive content. This encourages such content, because platforms can publish and profit from content that would be legally actionable if published offline.
It's not clear that preventing governments from collecting or cataloging personal data is a sufficient or effective way to prevent government atrocities. Genocides in Rwanda and Nazi Germany were caused by governments created a sense of otherness and passed laws enabling or required killing; they didn't require governmental collection and cataloging of personal info. Persecution can be facilitated by governmental collection and cataloging of personal info, but not all governmental collection and cataloging of personal info leads to persecution.
It's more important to focus on prohibiting and preventing abuse of power and persecution by government or private sector than on restricting governmental collection of info.
According to Doss, the goal of the book is to
give you a baseline understanding about key technologies and trends happening right now, a foundational knowledge about the current rules that do and don't govern those activities, and a framework for thinking about how we can shape laws and policies to reflect changing social norms. This book should help you set a privacy vision and present you with a roadmap for how we might get there.Doss says that she wanted to create a "Grand Unified Theory" of data privacy; a set of overarching principles to guide us morally, philosophically, ethically, and legally through the ways our personal data is captured by tech. She says, "My hope is that, in providing a catalog of risks and relevant questions, along with a useful framework for thinking about the future, this book may spark further, future discussions."
Doss has worked in data, tech, and privacy for nearly 20 years. She worked at the NSA in the early 2000, and was chair of the cybersecurity and privacy practice at a large law firm.
Notes
Categories of Data, and How It’s Collected
HIPAA's privacy protections only apply to defined categories of protected health information (PHI), and only to "covered entities" (specific categories of businesses, such as hospitals, medical practices, health insurers and their business associates). Other health-related data isn't covered by HIPAA, including fitness devices and apps.
The Privacy Prism: A Single Term with Many Dimensions
4th Amendment protects people, not property.
What’s It to You? Understanding What Privacy Is Worth
Google, Facebook, etc. should tell users, "'Free' means we're offering you the use of our service at no cost in exchange for mining, and perhaps selling to others, comprehensive data about what you have, what you do, who you are, and what you think, believe, and know."
The Big 4: Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon
From 10 likes, Facebook knows you better than your co-workers do. From 70 likes, Facebook knows you better than your roommates and real-life friends do. From 150 likes, Facebook knows you better than your family does. From 300 likes, Facebook knows you better than your spouse does.
Minority Report: The Algorithms Making Predictions About Your Current Mental Health, Your Future Medical Conditions, and the Likelihood That You’ll Commit a Crime
AI is broad term for software that can make smart decisions and control devices in smart ways, based on programmed routine. Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of AI in which software teaches itself based on given data.
The US Intelligence Community Post-WWII: Just Because You’re Paranoid Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Watching You
US has one of most carefully scrutinized, intensely overseen, remedy-rich approaches to government surveillance. US is more open and public about its eavesdropping and data analysis than most nations.
Community Policing: All Surveillance Is Local
We shouldn't shy away from innovative programs that might improve quality of life. Instead, we should look for examples where those activities seem well designed and sensibly bounded, and incorporate privacy protective measures in ways that satisfy a community's goals.4th Amendment doesn't apply to open field, plain view, third-party doctrine. If something happens in an open field or plain view, police don't need a warrant to investigate. If someone entrusts their info to a third party, police don't need a warrant to acquire that info from third party.
In many instances, the danger of overreach stems at least as much from overzealous and misguided human decisions as from the technology used to carry those decisions out. Those risks can be managed through clear laws, procedures, oversight, and guidance, but leaving these activities unregulated amplifies the risks that surveillance technologies will be misused.Government Surveillance in a Time of Trump: Why We Still Need It, How to Control It, and How to Protect Ourselves Against It
Researchers only need 4 data points to re-identify 95% of people from mobile phone location data that has been anonymized (stripped of personally-identifiable data such as name, address, phone number).
Saying "get a warrant" for every type of data that could be misused undermines legitimate security goals. Instead, we must define when, why, how government can access data, how it can be used, how use will be overseen, and what consequences of misuse will be.
"There are still legitimate and pressing national security and law enforcement challenges and there are legally and ethically sound reasons why government needs to have data collection and analysis tools." We need to support legitimate government needs while protecting individuals from overly intrusive over abusive data collection and use. "We should be on guard for intrusion but sidestep paranoia … 'trust but verify' should be the motto of every American."
A Brief European (De-)Tour, or Is Being Forgotten Really a Right?
European nations wiretap their citizens for national security and law enforcement purposes, collect emails (metadata and content), and access digital devices and accounts of individuals they perceive as potential threats.
"The United States has in place far stronger safeguards and privacy-protection mechanisms than most European nations do." In many European nations, judicial review of surveillance requests isn't necessary, or judiciary isn't a separate branch of government than agencies requesting approval. Parliamentary bodies are more likely to endorse whatever surveillance laws their party's leadership wants, while in the US, Congress serves as a stumbling block to administrations that may want privacy-intrusive surveillance laws. Parliamentary oversight is often less meaningful than US Congressional oversight. Many European nations have state ownership of, or investment in, communications infrastructure. In US, communications infrastructure is primarily owned by private companies, which are more likely to resist government surveillance.
Quantum Policy, or How a New Approach to Law and Policy Could Give Cyber Privacy a Fighting Chance
Privacy protections always involve trade-offs (reduced access to targeted advertising, fewer tools for legitimate national security purposes and law enforcement investigations, less-public access to info about a person's past, etc.).
Section 230 of Communications Decency Act has shielded platforms from accountability for hosting false, defamatory, harmful, intrusive content. This encourages such content, because platforms can publish and profit from content that would be legally actionable if published offline.
It's not clear that preventing governments from collecting or cataloging personal data is a sufficient or effective way to prevent government atrocities. Genocides in Rwanda and Nazi Germany were caused by governments created a sense of otherness and passed laws enabling or required killing; they didn't require governmental collection and cataloging of personal info. Persecution can be facilitated by governmental collection and cataloging of personal info, but not all governmental collection and cataloging of personal info leads to persecution.
It's more important to focus on prohibiting and preventing abuse of power and persecution by government or private sector than on restricting governmental collection of info.
April 21, 2021
We spend our days surfing the internet, playing online games, interacting with our friends on social media. Most of us don't give nearly enough thought to how much information about ourselves we leave in the digital world each time we do these things. April Falcon Doss is here to tell you that it's a lot, and the ways its being used may surprise you.
Cyber Privacy will give you a lot to think about. Though full of technical information, its pretty accessible. Doss covers a wide range of privacy issues, with plenty of real world examples.
As a lawyer who spent over a dozen years working with the NSA to help craft their data handling procedures to limit privacy concerns for citizens, Doss is much more concerned about corporate data practices than she is about those of the US Government. The amount of data collected about each of us by Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple and many "data brokers" whose names are much less familiar, is quite large, and almost wholly unregulated.
Beyond the discussions of concerns we all should have about corporate data practices, Doss also discusses US, European, Russian and Chinese approaches to the privacy of their own citizens. Her comparison of US governmental rules and regulations against those in the European Union (EU) was pretty eye opening. While many of us may be familiar with the notion that European privacy rules are stronger than those in the US, what I did not realize is that the EU, as a rulemaking body, has no jurisdiction over it's member states national security, intelligence or policing. This means that the EU's strong privacy protection rules do not apply to European governments, leaving their citizens less protected from governmental data snooping than US citizens.
Russia and China are in a completely different league than the US and EU. Governments in both countries have crafted policies to limit online access and are more concerned with controlling their populations than protecting their citizens' privacy.
Overall, while does a great job of laying out the problems, the book is short on solutions. Doss admits as much at the end of the book. She does offer a framework for governments to think about legislating for privacy protections, but she really offers no solutions for what we as individuals can do.
So, in short, this book is well worth the read to understand the privacy issues facing all of us in the digital world, but don't expect much in the way of tips to protect yourself online. Given that caveat, I rate Cyber Privacy 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I learned quite a bit from reading this book and I recommend it to anyone looking to better understand the issue of privacy online.
Cyber Privacy will give you a lot to think about. Though full of technical information, its pretty accessible. Doss covers a wide range of privacy issues, with plenty of real world examples.
As a lawyer who spent over a dozen years working with the NSA to help craft their data handling procedures to limit privacy concerns for citizens, Doss is much more concerned about corporate data practices than she is about those of the US Government. The amount of data collected about each of us by Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple and many "data brokers" whose names are much less familiar, is quite large, and almost wholly unregulated.
Beyond the discussions of concerns we all should have about corporate data practices, Doss also discusses US, European, Russian and Chinese approaches to the privacy of their own citizens. Her comparison of US governmental rules and regulations against those in the European Union (EU) was pretty eye opening. While many of us may be familiar with the notion that European privacy rules are stronger than those in the US, what I did not realize is that the EU, as a rulemaking body, has no jurisdiction over it's member states national security, intelligence or policing. This means that the EU's strong privacy protection rules do not apply to European governments, leaving their citizens less protected from governmental data snooping than US citizens.
Russia and China are in a completely different league than the US and EU. Governments in both countries have crafted policies to limit online access and are more concerned with controlling their populations than protecting their citizens' privacy.
Overall, while does a great job of laying out the problems, the book is short on solutions. Doss admits as much at the end of the book. She does offer a framework for governments to think about legislating for privacy protections, but she really offers no solutions for what we as individuals can do.
So, in short, this book is well worth the read to understand the privacy issues facing all of us in the digital world, but don't expect much in the way of tips to protect yourself online. Given that caveat, I rate Cyber Privacy 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I learned quite a bit from reading this book and I recommend it to anyone looking to better understand the issue of privacy online.
September 27, 2021
Interesting enough without making ultra paranoid like some books on cybersecurity did. I would just take the chapters on China and Russia with two grains of salt.
November 17, 2020
Thank you to both NetGalley and BenBella Books for providing me an advance copy of April Falcon Doss’s nonfiction work, Cyber Privacy, in exchange for an honest review.
Cyber Privacy is a comprehensive and well-researched nonfiction work that serves as a general primer to issues concerning online data and privacy. Thus, it did not come as a shock when I learned that the author was a former attorney at the NSA, and now works in the private sector advising clients on related issues while also teaching at a prominent law school. In fact, the first handful of chapters mirror my privacy casebooks from law school; only they were more condensed and straight-forward.
If you already have experience in the privacy sector (e.g., law, tech, government, etc.), then you can probably skip the first half unless you need/want a refresher. On the other hand, if you do not have any experience in the privacy realm and want to learn more about the space, then I highly recommend reading Cyber Privacy from cover-to-cover because it is the perfect introductory course.
The author truly understands the subject at hand, which enables her to present it in a clear and unambiguous manner. The issues expounded on are extremely relevant to our current and future society. In the past, I have intentionally avoided nonfictions works on certain topics because by the time they are published, the law, technology, or some other significant variable has changed and the information is already outdated. That is not the case with this book. Cyber Privacy is so timely that it even includes material on the Trump administration and the pandemic.
Although this novel poses more questions than answers (as the author admits herself), it provides a solid foundation to the history of how we got where we are today, the repercussions that stemmed from the way data and privacy laws were initially crafted (looking at you CDA § 230), and what we should focus on when drafting privacy and data legislation in the future.
As for people who have experience in this field, the most important chapter is towards the end, which touches upon the future of privacy law. The author proposes some loose frameworks to base new regulations on and discusses how difficult it is to destroy the “stovepipe” model of our current legislation (though we need to if we want to strengthen our approach).
The author acknowledges in her conclusion that this topic requires a multivolume set of works. If that is the case, then I am already looking forward to reading what she has to say in her second book on the subject.
Cyber Privacy is a comprehensive and well-researched nonfiction work that serves as a general primer to issues concerning online data and privacy. Thus, it did not come as a shock when I learned that the author was a former attorney at the NSA, and now works in the private sector advising clients on related issues while also teaching at a prominent law school. In fact, the first handful of chapters mirror my privacy casebooks from law school; only they were more condensed and straight-forward.
If you already have experience in the privacy sector (e.g., law, tech, government, etc.), then you can probably skip the first half unless you need/want a refresher. On the other hand, if you do not have any experience in the privacy realm and want to learn more about the space, then I highly recommend reading Cyber Privacy from cover-to-cover because it is the perfect introductory course.
The author truly understands the subject at hand, which enables her to present it in a clear and unambiguous manner. The issues expounded on are extremely relevant to our current and future society. In the past, I have intentionally avoided nonfictions works on certain topics because by the time they are published, the law, technology, or some other significant variable has changed and the information is already outdated. That is not the case with this book. Cyber Privacy is so timely that it even includes material on the Trump administration and the pandemic.
Although this novel poses more questions than answers (as the author admits herself), it provides a solid foundation to the history of how we got where we are today, the repercussions that stemmed from the way data and privacy laws were initially crafted (looking at you CDA § 230), and what we should focus on when drafting privacy and data legislation in the future.
As for people who have experience in this field, the most important chapter is towards the end, which touches upon the future of privacy law. The author proposes some loose frameworks to base new regulations on and discusses how difficult it is to destroy the “stovepipe” model of our current legislation (though we need to if we want to strengthen our approach).
The author acknowledges in her conclusion that this topic requires a multivolume set of works. If that is the case, then I am already looking forward to reading what she has to say in her second book on the subject.
December 6, 2020
I mean this in a lighthearted way, but this book rivals any horror book I've read.
The amount of your personal data that can be culled from your online touchpoints is generally well known (and stupidly accepted) but April Falcon Doss takes such a deep dive that you feel it in your chest. The facts laid out are so eye-opening that I found myself stopping constantly to discuss what I just read. People taking samples from dog waste to send to a company that can tell you who the dog belongs to? Facebook and the ;like having more info on you and your friends than the government? How easy it is to install tracking and keystroke apps on your spouses phone (and how often its done)? Just crazy.
Doss doesn't just speak to present day issues. She does a wonderful job of pulling in historical framework and, more importantly, what can be done in the future to lessen the shackles a little bit both in the word of law and what we as individuals can do.
I imagine it is difficult writing a book like this given how quickly things change but this is an outstanding text that will hold its own for years to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy to review.
The amount of your personal data that can be culled from your online touchpoints is generally well known (and stupidly accepted) but April Falcon Doss takes such a deep dive that you feel it in your chest. The facts laid out are so eye-opening that I found myself stopping constantly to discuss what I just read. People taking samples from dog waste to send to a company that can tell you who the dog belongs to? Facebook and the ;like having more info on you and your friends than the government? How easy it is to install tracking and keystroke apps on your spouses phone (and how often its done)? Just crazy.
Doss doesn't just speak to present day issues. She does a wonderful job of pulling in historical framework and, more importantly, what can be done in the future to lessen the shackles a little bit both in the word of law and what we as individuals can do.
I imagine it is difficult writing a book like this given how quickly things change but this is an outstanding text that will hold its own for years to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy to review.
May 14, 2022
The fallout of recent international election cycles has made clear that it isn’t just who has access to information about us that matters; it’s also the way that our personal data is used to manipulate us, to undermine our sense of personhood and autonomy, to exploit societal fault lines, and to change our minds.
Selama baca ini rasanya aku ingin menghapus semua akun media sosialku dan berhenti main internet, lalu hidup saja di desa yang tenang, tapi, kan, tidak mungkin. Wkwkwk. Jadinya, yah, sudahlah mau tidak mau, tetap harus, menggunakan internet dengan segala gawai yang dipakai, ya laptop dan ponsel pintar. Cuma memang harus belajar terus bagaimana caranya untuk melindungi privasi dan data pribadi, dan membatasi apa saja yang bisa aku bagi di internet.
Internet memang semenyeramkan itu. Kalau kita tidak pandai menggunakannya, bisa-bisa kita bisa dimanipulasi, dipecah belah, dijadikan objek pemasaran, dan lain-lain. Hal itu dilakukan dengan menggunakan data yang tanpa kita sadari kita berikan dan tanpa sadari pula kalau kita dilacak. Privasi penuh 100% di jaman sekarang? Jangan mimpi kamu, Kisanak.
February 3, 2021
Excellent! Ms. Doss has found a way to present a great amount of information, much of it technical, in an easy-to-read, very understandable manner. I kept learning with each new chapter, and found myself peeking ahead just to see what was next. The author's style is inviting. This is a very serious subject, yet she is able to write about it in an almost informal way, making it very accessible to the reader. Her selection of examples to demonstrate key issues ranged from the everyday activities to the humorous, making them instantly recognizable.
Two areas that I found most interesting were the ways in which advertisers target social media users in real time, and specific examples of how Russian internet trolls spread misinformation across a wide variety of media platforms. I wish that there were more in the way of solutions to the difficult issues raised, but I suppose, as Ms. Doss notes, that those will need to be the subject of future volumes.
Two areas that I found most interesting were the ways in which advertisers target social media users in real time, and specific examples of how Russian internet trolls spread misinformation across a wide variety of media platforms. I wish that there were more in the way of solutions to the difficult issues raised, but I suppose, as Ms. Doss notes, that those will need to be the subject of future volumes.
May 23, 2022
Very interesting and important topic. Lots of information here about how your privacy is being compromised. Your information is floating around all over the place, and as an example, places like Google buy YouTube and then give YouTube all your user search data. The thing is you have no idea how a company might use your information. They have all kinds of slippery ways of getting and using information. The big four companies - Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Google - may know you better than you know yourself. I hear people say well, I'm not doing anything wrong, so why should I try to protect my privacy online? It seems like one day we will have a computer that could legitimately be a better version and know more of your inner workings than you do - and that's crazy.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 28, 2022
The author brings to light a reality that most of us are often unaware of, and just as she set out to do (or, rather concluded that she hopes to have done), she provides much food for thought, and useful context too.
I am as guilty as any for often uncritically succumbing to solicitations for my own data, and while I will in some ways be more cautious with my data footprint going forward, I still in many/most ways find myself much slower to sound the alarm of concern than to appreciate and praise the innovations that increased data and computing power bring us. It’s irresponsible for me to say this, but I’m glad that there are others in our country and world who are more concerned than I am.
I am as guilty as any for often uncritically succumbing to solicitations for my own data, and while I will in some ways be more cautious with my data footprint going forward, I still in many/most ways find myself much slower to sound the alarm of concern than to appreciate and praise the innovations that increased data and computing power bring us. It’s irresponsible for me to say this, but I’m glad that there are others in our country and world who are more concerned than I am.
November 10, 2020
The book deserves to be viewed by the general public, not just people with a direct interest in the topic of cyberspace and how it is used.
The author develops and complements questions related to personal data use and not only - the main question we all need to ask ourselves: should we be interested in our rights online, and if so - why are we not interested? The book is a great addition to the conversations on these topics, and the author has something to say, given the extensive experience in cyberspace and the rights in it. Four-star because I feel the book needed to provide more tips and advice on how to proceed in our current online life.
The author develops and complements questions related to personal data use and not only - the main question we all need to ask ourselves: should we be interested in our rights online, and if so - why are we not interested? The book is a great addition to the conversations on these topics, and the author has something to say, given the extensive experience in cyberspace and the rights in it. Four-star because I feel the book needed to provide more tips and advice on how to proceed in our current online life.
March 26, 2021
A thoroughly enjoyable introduction into an impressive breadth of cyber privacy challenges and trends in the private and public sector. I appreciated its brevity for what the book sought to cover -- from discussions on the development of American jurisprudence in the area of privacy to the GDPR, data localisation and beyond. Further, the book covers a host of interesting corporate cyber security concerns which were relevant (and worrying) to everyone.
In all, it reminded me of the chilling effect that modern surveillance technologies and abuses of state/corporate power have on our dignity as individuals. Now I've got another thing to think about before I go to bed at night.
In all, it reminded me of the chilling effect that modern surveillance technologies and abuses of state/corporate power have on our dignity as individuals. Now I've got another thing to think about before I go to bed at night.
May 7, 2021
Reviewed for Foreword Books INDIES Awards.
A fantastic read! The author goes into many facets of cyber privacy, including what and how the government collects, social media collects, and other private companies collect, as well as how they use them. The author clearly has a thorough understanding of the topic, and presents highly nuanced critiques and opinions, including areas where her opinions are slightly at odds with what the average person would believe, but she defends these well. I highly recommend this book for anyone with the slightest curiosity or concern about what's going on with your data.
A fantastic read! The author goes into many facets of cyber privacy, including what and how the government collects, social media collects, and other private companies collect, as well as how they use them. The author clearly has a thorough understanding of the topic, and presents highly nuanced critiques and opinions, including areas where her opinions are slightly at odds with what the average person would believe, but she defends these well. I highly recommend this book for anyone with the slightest curiosity or concern about what's going on with your data.
September 22, 2022
A classic saying is "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product". The author takes us through a journey of enlightenment as we discover more truths about privacy and data.
While many aspects covered are fairly known, it's interesting to read about the studies and bigger picture supporting these privacy concerns.
Big-data companies keep learning about us and our habits. Consumers don't understand the trade-off for personal data choices. Mobile phones are tracking us more than ever before. The list goes on, and there's great insights from reading this book.
If you're interested in content around risk and cyber/online privacy, this book captures it nicely.
While many aspects covered are fairly known, it's interesting to read about the studies and bigger picture supporting these privacy concerns.
Big-data companies keep learning about us and our habits. Consumers don't understand the trade-off for personal data choices. Mobile phones are tracking us more than ever before. The list goes on, and there's great insights from reading this book.
If you're interested in content around risk and cyber/online privacy, this book captures it nicely.
November 1, 2020
Despite being technically savvy I have not always understood what the big deal is about data, until now. This book is awesome and is quickly filling gaps in my knowledge when it comes to these pressing issues. This book is so thorough and the writing is sharp and accessible. Protect your rights. Protect your civil liberties. Protect the rights of your children and the future they will inherit. As the author quotes, "If you're not paying for the product, you ARE the product." Be a human being, not a product. Add this book to your arsenal.
February 9, 2025
On pure substance, this is a great introduction into how our data is used; the coercive nature of “take it or leave it” policy agreements; the differences in privacy law in Europe and the US; as well as how public and private actors abuse and misuse our data.
There are times when I felt the author over or under-explained certain subjects but it’s definitely worth the read, there’s lot of shocking information.
It’s ironic that after reading this, I’m posting on a platform, whose TOS I did not read and is owned by a company, Amazon, that thrives on user data to survive.
There are times when I felt the author over or under-explained certain subjects but it’s definitely worth the read, there’s lot of shocking information.
It’s ironic that after reading this, I’m posting on a platform, whose TOS I did not read and is owned by a company, Amazon, that thrives on user data to survive.
Read
November 14, 2020Privacy is gone in the wind for most but for those who know how to corral it and inject misinformation and disinformation into the world, then this book will certainly brush up your skills. The book contains all the basics of how data gets put into the public realm as well as the fundamentals how to remove it. Best to everyone here, Darren Chaker
April 13, 2022
An absolute blast reading this book, where the author highlights various privacy topics beyond the cyber space which we need to be aware of.
She brought up topics which most general privacy folks may not touch, e.g. minority reports.
Highly recommended book for all privacy professionals to broaden their privacy knowledge.
She brought up topics which most general privacy folks may not touch, e.g. minority reports.
Highly recommended book for all privacy professionals to broaden their privacy knowledge.
March 15, 2023
I want to say that this book is great, especially for those who are either new to the topic of Cyber Security or are interested in a breakdown of what is actually going on in our digital world.
This book is not a tutorial on how to help prevent or fix any current issues you may be facing or will face. It is just a breakdown of the type of attacks you'll come across eventually.
This book is not a tutorial on how to help prevent or fix any current issues you may be facing or will face. It is just a breakdown of the type of attacks you'll come across eventually.
July 6, 2021
3.5 stars. The material of this book was really interesting but became boring (probably because cyber privacy isn't the most exciting topic for me). The author does an excellent job of providing a great survey of the laws and trends across the globe.
April 13, 2022
I highly recommended this Book to get a picture of the Data and Privacy Violations through an employee who worked several years in a sophisticated surveillance environment. Ms. Dossdesgined the book very carefully to present from low-level Data collections to modern aggressive Data violations.
January 4, 2023
interesting topic! very scary to listen to how people can screw u over w the data they have of u for 13h lmao,,, once again v impressed at how much time and thought has been put into writing this book. wld hv been good if it also touched on how we can navigate this data driven world
March 9, 2023
As a privacy-focused former NSA member, few people are more suited than the author to write this book. I don’t agree with all of her motivations or conclusions, but the book is excellent as a balanced introduction to the subject of digital privacy.
June 16, 2023
Highly US-focused, though it gives broad insight into the kinds of data and surveillance we should be aware of (gait recognition was new to me!). Could probably have been consumed more efficiently as a quick notes summary or listicle. I'll admit I fell asleep listening to it on the flight.
July 1, 2021
Scary book about the way our data is collected and used.
July 4, 2021
Sobering.
November 30, 2022
horrifying but also very dry and took a while to finally get thru
January 23, 2023
Interesting topic and anecdotes, but I found it to be inconsistent in depth. The NSA content is in depth whereas the other chapters are more cursory. It feels a bit rushed by the author.
December 6, 2024
Reads like a textbook but, like, written by the good professor. Interesting topic for those in law.
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