What do you think?
Rate this book
Privacy is Power: Why and How You Should Take Back Control of Your Data
As the data economy grows in power, Carissa Véliz exposes how our privacy is eroded by big tech and governments, why that matters and what we can do about it. The moment you check your phone in the morning you are giving away your data. Before you’ve even switched off your alarm, a whole host of organisations have been alerted to when you woke up, where you slept, and with whom. As you check the weather, scroll through your ‘suggested friends’ on Facebook, you continually compromise your privacy. Without your permission, or even your awareness, tech companies are harvesting your information, your location, your likes, your habits, and sharing it amongst themselves. They're not just selling your data. They’re selling the power to influence you. Even when you’ve explicitly asked them not to. And it's not just you. It's all your contacts too. Digital technology is stealing our personal data and with it our power to make free choices. To reclaim that power and democracy, we must protect our privacy. What can we do? So much is at stake. Our phones, our TVs, even our washing machines are spies in our own homes. We need new regulation. We need to pressure policy-makers for red lines on the data economy. And we need to stop sharing and to adopt privacy-friendly alternatives to Google, Facebook and other online platforms. Short, terrifying, Privacy is Power highlights the implications of our laid-back attitude to data and sets out how we can take back control. If you liked The Age of Surveillance Capitalism , you’ll love Privacy is Power because it provides a philosophical perspective on the politics of privacy, and it offers a very practical outlook, both for policymakers and ordinary citizens.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
April 18, 2021
Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest
There is an irony, I think, in giving a book like this to a book reviewer and being all, "Hey, book reviewer, please review this book about the dangers of social media websites and algorithms on social media sites so algorithms can use your sphere of influence and the engagement of the people who follow you to help the author/publisher sell more books!" I'm not saying it's a bad thing-- at least, not on the part of the writer or the publisher-- but it just goes to show how entrenched social media has become in the quotidian details of our lives, from work to play.
PRIVACY IS POWER is a cohesive collection of essays that is intended to serve as a call to action to people to navigate social media a bit more safely and make them aware of the value of their data and how freely and carelessly some of us toss all caution to the winds. I've read other books about this subject and watched documentaries on it (one of my faves is the Adam Ruins Everything short, "The Terrifying cost of 'FREE' websites." By the end of the book, the reader learns about how social media giants like Facebook and Google mine users for data and sell them to third parties for profit, and not always in a way that seems completely aboveboard.
It's a great book. Sometimes the author seems like she's reaching a bit, though. I felt a little uncomfortable with the comparison of data harvesting to WWII-era Germany, for example, even though she was careful to clarify her point with some comparisons. It felt like the conclusion was a bit too A Modest Proposal for me. There were a couple other moments like this, such as the suggestion of starting a book club on privacy and then, in all seriousness, suggesting Dave Eggers's THE CIRCLE and Orwell's 1984 that kind of made me roll my eyes. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're out to get your data.
Overall, I think this book should be suggested reading for many people-- especially if you use a lot of smart devices or social media sites-- and something like this should really be part of the school curriculum. Apart from "don't talk to strangers," we were never really taught about online safety in schools and kids now are developing online profiles from a very early age (sometimes, in the case of over-sharing moms, from birth), so I am totally for everyone "interwebbing" safely, even if maybe I've taken a few too many hard knocks with the soma from BRAVE NEW WORLD in the form of social media usage. Reading a book really primes you to think critically about what you consume.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
4 stars
June 1, 2021
I think everyone should read this, it’s very insightful about a topic most of us seem to choose to ignore. I can’t wait to annoy my friends by blabbing on about it for the next few weeks. The only issue I have with it is that it seems to make the same point repeatedly but just rephrased. This makes it somewhat tiresome in some parts. But that’s a small complaint compared to the amount of knowledge that can be gained.
I hope my Goodreads data is not being exploited?
I hope my Goodreads data is not being exploited?
February 13, 2022
There are too many books on privacy, but Carissa Véliz's Privacy is Power renews and extends the arguments in a very tight, focused and direct condemnation of Big Tech. Her argument is not merely that Big Tech abuses its users, but that its power is unnatural, and must eventually be reversed. Privacy will at some point become the norm again. Future generations, she says, will look at this period in history as a bizarre anomaly. That would be a hopeful turn of events. That's how bad it is today.
Her main point is that privacy is a basic human right, and Big Tech should not be allowed to invade and invalidate it at all, but certainly not without clarity and permission. No one should have to opt out, and it most definitely should not be a difficult process, let alone impossible. Most people don't even know what is being done to them, their privacy and their rights. But Véliz is here to tell everyone.
It's a newspeak world for the abusers: "Privately owned advertising and surveillance networks are called 'communities', citizens are 'users', addiction to screens is labelled 'engagement', our most sensitive information is considered 'data exhaust' or 'digital breadcrumbs', spyware is called 'cookies', documents that describe our lack of privacy are titled 'privacy policies', and what used to be considered wiretapping is now the bedrock of the internet economy."
Facebook is the poster child for bad behavior. It is continually being fined all over the world for its unending abuses of personal data. Facebook has been logging all Android-based phone calls and texts since 2015. It has given Netflix and Spotify permission to see and delete private messages. All its fun little quizzes and surveys have only one objective - get the user to give up more personal data. What cannot be had can instead be inferred from things like zip code, purchase history, schools. friends, posts and searches. Microtargeting allows big spenders to send specific ads to specific users, based on personal biases or prejudices in their data.
Donald Trump spent $44 million on Facebook in 2016. He presented six million different ads, making it seem like Trump had the reader personally nailed. Véliz says "Having one of the most powerful corporations in the world know so much about us and allowing it to show us messages that can influence our voting behavior during elections is insane, particularly if we didn't even audit it." "Facebook has not only allowed lies and fake news, it has prioritized them, given that paid ads get access to tools, such as microtargeting that maximize influence."
Data scouring is abusive everywhere: in browsers, on social media, on any site that asks questions, in healthcare, in surveys, elections, and schools. Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Vladimir Putin to try to defuse the Ukraine situation. Putin sat 15 feet away at the other end of a conference table, and stood 15 feet away for their joint news conference. Why? Macron refused to take a required COVID test at the Kremlin. His handlers feared the Russians would use it to obtain Macron's DNA, and who knows what they might do with it. The rest of us mere mortals don't get to turn down such demands. DNA libraries are growing fast. Véliz fears people might one day be required to wear smartwatches. By law. At that point, every heartbeat, drop of sweat and location will be recorded by government, not just Apple.
DNA has proven to be problematic, sending the innocent to prison and making outrageous predictions on health and longevity. In the hands of advertisers, it can become obnoxiously invasive. It is pooled and sold, over and over again. It is available for any purpose the buyer wants.
US courts have shut down government attempts to obtain very personal data without reason or warrants, but no matter. They can just purchase it legally from data brokers, complete with obscene levels of detail. It saves them the effort required, and money is no object.
Smart speakers spy on their owners, sending household conversations back to Amazon and Google. This can include criticizing the neighbors or elected officials, life choices, arguments, financial difficulties, medical issues, plans to be away - everything. Véliz says people should have the minimal manners to let visitors know they have smart speakers.
But the speakers are just the obvious tools. Smart TVs do the same thing - they are always listening. Véliz says: "It tries to identify everything you watch on TV, and sends the data to the TV maker, third parties, or both. Researchers found that one Samsung smart TV had connected to more than 700 distinct internet addresses after being used for fifteen minutes. That’s the least of it. If you had time to read the privacy policies of the objects you buy, you would have noticed that your Samsung TV included the following warning: ‘Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party.'"
Smart appliances can be hacked, telling criminals when owners might not be home. Smart thermostats are obvious repositories of that kind of data. if the coffee maker didn't get used this morning, there's an excellent chance no one was there to use it. Smart doorbells add visuals. If you can see it over the internet, so can anyone who wants something from your home.
How can this be allowed? Véliz comes straight to the point; this is theft and coercion. No one should be allowed to gather this level of data on unwitting victims. She says "Bad tech is using us much more than we are using it." The profits from it are colossal. Google, which lives almost entirely off targeted ads, already profited about $10 from each of its more than a billion users back in 2013. Nine years later, it has set new profitability records.
It has long been known that personal data is toxic. National registries were the first target of invading Nazis, seeking lists of all Jews in the country, for example. Today, that level of knowledge is laughably simplistic. Far more depth is available to all who can pay. Even individuals can pay for reports and the victim will have no knowledge of it - until their bank account starts showing unauthorized charges. In an age when elected officials were the targets of nearly ten thousand death threats in 2021, this is worrisome.
Back on the internet, trackers can be planted on the systems of anyone without them having to download a program or app. They can come from single pixels in an email or in an ad. Those sites that even allow users to refuse trackers often make it close to impossible to do so, in a neverending list of checkboxes that must be unchecked individually, while still allowing the content through. Worse, it can happen every time the user visits. There are hot new companies who set up these systems, designed precisely to be discouraging or impossible for the user to opt out of, while fulfilling the legal requirement of notification.
Worse yet, children are being indoctrinated into thinking this is the way life is. Schools monitor internet traffic, record e-mails, and rate children on their conformity. Independence, curiosity and experimentation are issues to be dealt with. Instead of encouraging children to be children, they are teaching them to keep a low profile. Véliz says "Young children depend on their families and schools to protect their privacy. And the current trend is to monitor them from the time they are conceived with the excuse of keeping them safe."
The safety nonsense has really gotten out of hand. It seems to have started with Eric Schmidt, longtime CEO of Google. In discussing privacy for its users, Schmidt wondered "What have you got to hide?" as if it was privacy that was suspicious. But what everyone has to hide is login information, bank account numbers, medical histories, personal relationships, school records, and social media contributions, travel plans and social events among many other things. None of it anyone else's property. In an era when private property is paramount, it is astonishing that Big Tech has got off scot-free with its ever-increasing (if not boundless) abuse.
Where can it lead? Véliz looks to China, where everything is data to be used against you. E-mails, posts, and chats join DNA banks, iris scans, fingerprints, blood samples, outdoor camera networks, cameras and microphones inside people's homes, and local spying to award social points. "By the end of 2019, China had banned almost 27 million people from buying air tickets, and almost 6 million people from using the high-speed rail network."
There is, of necessity and inevitability, a long conclusion of advice, which most readers could probably guess by now. Don't take DNA tests. Don't fill out surveys. Use longer passwords, never the same one twice, and change them often. Clear cookies, opt out of trackers. Keep a separate e-mail account for all the sites that require e-mail addresses. Disclose Smart appliances, particularly speakers and TVs, to visitors. Disclose tagging of photos to the people you intend to tag. Use stickers to block the camera and the microphone on computers.
And protest. Ensure they all understand you object to data collection. Eventually, even Congress might take notice. "Privacy is about being able to keep certain intimate things to yourself – your thoughts, your experiences, your conversations, your plans. Human beings need privacy to be able to unwind from the burden of being with other people. We need privacy to explore new ideas freely, to make up our own minds. Privacy protects us from unwanted pressures and abuses of power. We need it to be autonomous individuals, and for democracies to function well we need citizens to be autonomous."
David Wineberg
Her main point is that privacy is a basic human right, and Big Tech should not be allowed to invade and invalidate it at all, but certainly not without clarity and permission. No one should have to opt out, and it most definitely should not be a difficult process, let alone impossible. Most people don't even know what is being done to them, their privacy and their rights. But Véliz is here to tell everyone.
It's a newspeak world for the abusers: "Privately owned advertising and surveillance networks are called 'communities', citizens are 'users', addiction to screens is labelled 'engagement', our most sensitive information is considered 'data exhaust' or 'digital breadcrumbs', spyware is called 'cookies', documents that describe our lack of privacy are titled 'privacy policies', and what used to be considered wiretapping is now the bedrock of the internet economy."
Facebook is the poster child for bad behavior. It is continually being fined all over the world for its unending abuses of personal data. Facebook has been logging all Android-based phone calls and texts since 2015. It has given Netflix and Spotify permission to see and delete private messages. All its fun little quizzes and surveys have only one objective - get the user to give up more personal data. What cannot be had can instead be inferred from things like zip code, purchase history, schools. friends, posts and searches. Microtargeting allows big spenders to send specific ads to specific users, based on personal biases or prejudices in their data.
Donald Trump spent $44 million on Facebook in 2016. He presented six million different ads, making it seem like Trump had the reader personally nailed. Véliz says "Having one of the most powerful corporations in the world know so much about us and allowing it to show us messages that can influence our voting behavior during elections is insane, particularly if we didn't even audit it." "Facebook has not only allowed lies and fake news, it has prioritized them, given that paid ads get access to tools, such as microtargeting that maximize influence."
Data scouring is abusive everywhere: in browsers, on social media, on any site that asks questions, in healthcare, in surveys, elections, and schools. Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Vladimir Putin to try to defuse the Ukraine situation. Putin sat 15 feet away at the other end of a conference table, and stood 15 feet away for their joint news conference. Why? Macron refused to take a required COVID test at the Kremlin. His handlers feared the Russians would use it to obtain Macron's DNA, and who knows what they might do with it. The rest of us mere mortals don't get to turn down such demands. DNA libraries are growing fast. Véliz fears people might one day be required to wear smartwatches. By law. At that point, every heartbeat, drop of sweat and location will be recorded by government, not just Apple.
DNA has proven to be problematic, sending the innocent to prison and making outrageous predictions on health and longevity. In the hands of advertisers, it can become obnoxiously invasive. It is pooled and sold, over and over again. It is available for any purpose the buyer wants.
US courts have shut down government attempts to obtain very personal data without reason or warrants, but no matter. They can just purchase it legally from data brokers, complete with obscene levels of detail. It saves them the effort required, and money is no object.
Smart speakers spy on their owners, sending household conversations back to Amazon and Google. This can include criticizing the neighbors or elected officials, life choices, arguments, financial difficulties, medical issues, plans to be away - everything. Véliz says people should have the minimal manners to let visitors know they have smart speakers.
But the speakers are just the obvious tools. Smart TVs do the same thing - they are always listening. Véliz says: "It tries to identify everything you watch on TV, and sends the data to the TV maker, third parties, or both. Researchers found that one Samsung smart TV had connected to more than 700 distinct internet addresses after being used for fifteen minutes. That’s the least of it. If you had time to read the privacy policies of the objects you buy, you would have noticed that your Samsung TV included the following warning: ‘Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party.'"
Smart appliances can be hacked, telling criminals when owners might not be home. Smart thermostats are obvious repositories of that kind of data. if the coffee maker didn't get used this morning, there's an excellent chance no one was there to use it. Smart doorbells add visuals. If you can see it over the internet, so can anyone who wants something from your home.
How can this be allowed? Véliz comes straight to the point; this is theft and coercion. No one should be allowed to gather this level of data on unwitting victims. She says "Bad tech is using us much more than we are using it." The profits from it are colossal. Google, which lives almost entirely off targeted ads, already profited about $10 from each of its more than a billion users back in 2013. Nine years later, it has set new profitability records.
It has long been known that personal data is toxic. National registries were the first target of invading Nazis, seeking lists of all Jews in the country, for example. Today, that level of knowledge is laughably simplistic. Far more depth is available to all who can pay. Even individuals can pay for reports and the victim will have no knowledge of it - until their bank account starts showing unauthorized charges. In an age when elected officials were the targets of nearly ten thousand death threats in 2021, this is worrisome.
Back on the internet, trackers can be planted on the systems of anyone without them having to download a program or app. They can come from single pixels in an email or in an ad. Those sites that even allow users to refuse trackers often make it close to impossible to do so, in a neverending list of checkboxes that must be unchecked individually, while still allowing the content through. Worse, it can happen every time the user visits. There are hot new companies who set up these systems, designed precisely to be discouraging or impossible for the user to opt out of, while fulfilling the legal requirement of notification.
Worse yet, children are being indoctrinated into thinking this is the way life is. Schools monitor internet traffic, record e-mails, and rate children on their conformity. Independence, curiosity and experimentation are issues to be dealt with. Instead of encouraging children to be children, they are teaching them to keep a low profile. Véliz says "Young children depend on their families and schools to protect their privacy. And the current trend is to monitor them from the time they are conceived with the excuse of keeping them safe."
The safety nonsense has really gotten out of hand. It seems to have started with Eric Schmidt, longtime CEO of Google. In discussing privacy for its users, Schmidt wondered "What have you got to hide?" as if it was privacy that was suspicious. But what everyone has to hide is login information, bank account numbers, medical histories, personal relationships, school records, and social media contributions, travel plans and social events among many other things. None of it anyone else's property. In an era when private property is paramount, it is astonishing that Big Tech has got off scot-free with its ever-increasing (if not boundless) abuse.
Where can it lead? Véliz looks to China, where everything is data to be used against you. E-mails, posts, and chats join DNA banks, iris scans, fingerprints, blood samples, outdoor camera networks, cameras and microphones inside people's homes, and local spying to award social points. "By the end of 2019, China had banned almost 27 million people from buying air tickets, and almost 6 million people from using the high-speed rail network."
There is, of necessity and inevitability, a long conclusion of advice, which most readers could probably guess by now. Don't take DNA tests. Don't fill out surveys. Use longer passwords, never the same one twice, and change them often. Clear cookies, opt out of trackers. Keep a separate e-mail account for all the sites that require e-mail addresses. Disclose Smart appliances, particularly speakers and TVs, to visitors. Disclose tagging of photos to the people you intend to tag. Use stickers to block the camera and the microphone on computers.
And protest. Ensure they all understand you object to data collection. Eventually, even Congress might take notice. "Privacy is about being able to keep certain intimate things to yourself – your thoughts, your experiences, your conversations, your plans. Human beings need privacy to be able to unwind from the burden of being with other people. We need privacy to explore new ideas freely, to make up our own minds. Privacy protects us from unwanted pressures and abuses of power. We need it to be autonomous individuals, and for democracies to function well we need citizens to be autonomous."
David Wineberg
September 24, 2020
Privacy is Power: Why and How You Should Take Back Control of Your Data is an urgent and timely book about the issue of privacy since the inception of the internet, how your data is being used by companies and how you can make all of your information safer and more secure online. Of course, collection and storage of our data have always been a problem, even before the internet age, it's only recently in, say, the past decade that we have become increasingly aware of this because of the simply astonishing amount of information being collected through a plethora of different means online. And whereas ”online” used to be limited to a computer dial-up connection only, thanks to modernity all of the devices we now have throughout our homes which can connect to the internet means we have a home full of big brother-style products keeping tabs on us at all times. It's certainly disquieting to read and comprehend but this book provides actionable tips to restore and regain your privacy online and in the technological world.
A particularly apt quote states: 'if you're not paying for the product, you are the product' or in put another way: the product or service is free to you because they are gaining something much more valuable to them than money: data. This data will tell them everything they need to know in order to understand you as a consumer and will help them target you with advertisements you may appreciate in the future. This is exactly how surveillance capitalism works - Surveillance capitalism refers to an economic system centred around the commodification of personal data with the core purpose of profit-making. Since personal data can be commodified it has become one of the most valuable resources on earth.
At under 300 pages, this is a powerful punch to the gut and will give you food for thought, terrify you and open your eyes to the data exploitation going on around you. It's informative, interesting and eminently readable and I found myself fascinated by the ethics behind data collection techniques and exactly what that information is likely to be used for. Carissa Véliz is particularly interested in digital ethics (with an emphasis on privacy and AI ethics). If privacy is an issue you are interested in learning more about then one of the most eye-opening shows you can watch on it is the recent Netflix show ”The Social Dilemma” and I would also highly recommend the book ”The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” by Shoshana Zuboff. Both are invaluable additions to this topic. An accessible and much-needed rumination on one of the defining issues of our age. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bantam Press for an ARC.
A particularly apt quote states: 'if you're not paying for the product, you are the product' or in put another way: the product or service is free to you because they are gaining something much more valuable to them than money: data. This data will tell them everything they need to know in order to understand you as a consumer and will help them target you with advertisements you may appreciate in the future. This is exactly how surveillance capitalism works - Surveillance capitalism refers to an economic system centred around the commodification of personal data with the core purpose of profit-making. Since personal data can be commodified it has become one of the most valuable resources on earth.
At under 300 pages, this is a powerful punch to the gut and will give you food for thought, terrify you and open your eyes to the data exploitation going on around you. It's informative, interesting and eminently readable and I found myself fascinated by the ethics behind data collection techniques and exactly what that information is likely to be used for. Carissa Véliz is particularly interested in digital ethics (with an emphasis on privacy and AI ethics). If privacy is an issue you are interested in learning more about then one of the most eye-opening shows you can watch on it is the recent Netflix show ”The Social Dilemma” and I would also highly recommend the book ”The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” by Shoshana Zuboff. Both are invaluable additions to this topic. An accessible and much-needed rumination on one of the defining issues of our age. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bantam Press for an ARC.
May 16, 2021
the 1st half of this book is the most interesting in my opinion despite it being quite similar to most of the stuff out there on this topic. i got it from the library because it seemed interesting, not really the usual thing i read.
i didnt like the political perspective that this book provided, the duality between "authoritarianism" (bad countries like russia and china) and "liberal democracy" (good countries like the uk and the us). there's a whole page about the chinese "social credit system" with about 2 sources, which struck me as shocking for the system that the largest country in the world allegedly runs on. in the chapter where véliz details what we can do as individuals to protect our privacy, she notes that the cia and nsa have recommended not buying chinese phones due to government backdoors, and then notes that android bloatware is notoriously insecure, leaving the insinuation that an iphone is the most secure option - interestingly, that the cia and nsa have a backdoor to. obviously, no kind of government surveillance is good, but the idea that its only foreign governments and "bad actors" (or once so-called "liberal democracies" have been significantly impacted by these bad actors, this book seeming to take russiagate as gospel) you need to be fearful of is downright laughable.
i also disagree with her blind faith in capitalism. i'm of the opinion that surveillance capitalism is not the issue - it is part of capitalism, it has developed within capitalism and has not evolved past it. simply because facebook and google and so on don't own factories, does not mean this model has significantly shifted. thankfully, she sees that the market is incapable of regulating itself in this capacity due to its sole pursuit of profit, but i also am left disappointed by the regular liberal rallying cry of "vote and write to your representatives" as the sole avenue of change.
overall, a good surface-level analysis of the problems of the so called data economy. the individual advice is good too, although perhaps a little too shy of radical change (no mention of the free software movement for example, and recommendations of telegram and signal as 'safe and secure'). but yes, it's a good introduction to the topic for mainstream liberal readers. i'd suggest looking into luke smith's youtube channel (although don't go too far into his ideological rabbit hole) for further information about modern technology.
i didnt like the political perspective that this book provided, the duality between "authoritarianism" (bad countries like russia and china) and "liberal democracy" (good countries like the uk and the us). there's a whole page about the chinese "social credit system" with about 2 sources, which struck me as shocking for the system that the largest country in the world allegedly runs on. in the chapter where véliz details what we can do as individuals to protect our privacy, she notes that the cia and nsa have recommended not buying chinese phones due to government backdoors, and then notes that android bloatware is notoriously insecure, leaving the insinuation that an iphone is the most secure option - interestingly, that the cia and nsa have a backdoor to. obviously, no kind of government surveillance is good, but the idea that its only foreign governments and "bad actors" (or once so-called "liberal democracies" have been significantly impacted by these bad actors, this book seeming to take russiagate as gospel) you need to be fearful of is downright laughable.
i also disagree with her blind faith in capitalism. i'm of the opinion that surveillance capitalism is not the issue - it is part of capitalism, it has developed within capitalism and has not evolved past it. simply because facebook and google and so on don't own factories, does not mean this model has significantly shifted. thankfully, she sees that the market is incapable of regulating itself in this capacity due to its sole pursuit of profit, but i also am left disappointed by the regular liberal rallying cry of "vote and write to your representatives" as the sole avenue of change.
overall, a good surface-level analysis of the problems of the so called data economy. the individual advice is good too, although perhaps a little too shy of radical change (no mention of the free software movement for example, and recommendations of telegram and signal as 'safe and secure'). but yes, it's a good introduction to the topic for mainstream liberal readers. i'd suggest looking into luke smith's youtube channel (although don't go too far into his ideological rabbit hole) for further information about modern technology.
August 26, 2022
Firstly, let me state, unequivocally and most seriously, that this may be the most important book you ever read. If you haven’t heard of it, buy it, borrow it from the library or from a friend, anything, but READ IT.
Privacy is Power is a well-researched, hard-hitting book concerning data – yours and mine, and how it is being bought and sold every day, by and to companies and governments.
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW
Privacy is Power is a well-researched, hard-hitting book concerning data – yours and mine, and how it is being bought and sold every day, by and to companies and governments.
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW
June 27, 2021
Although I’m generally on the same side as the author on the subject of privacy, the books comes across as a preachy monologue. Not much new information; all data points and references interpreted through a singular lens. it’s almost as if the author drew her conclusions in advance and then searched for references to support them. Quite a few logic gaps, or statements that are not adequately supported by fact.
Overall, would only recommend reading the introduction and skimming Chapter 5
Overall, would only recommend reading the introduction and skimming Chapter 5
June 13, 2022
Just found out about the internet... damn that shit sucks
November 15, 2020
I've seen this book recommended by many people I respect, but I was hesitant to purchase it. I follow Carisa on Twitter, and I let her know that I'm one of those people who doesn't think this topic is as big of a deal as some people say it is. She replied to me and let me know that she had people like me in mind as she wrote this book. I appreciate when authors interact with their audience and potential audience, so I purchased the book right then and there. And honestly, I read this book straight through within about a day. It's awesome.
What I love about Carisa is that she's a philosopher, so she has a whole new perspective about the case for privacy. As someone who has a social media presence and works in marketing, I'm often surprised that people don't know all of the ways our data is collected, and that's one of the reasons I don't read books like this. But Carisa was able to make a multitude of arguments that I hadn't thought of yet. Personally, I feel the most compelling argument she made that hadn't crossed my mind is that my data isn't just about me; it can affect people I know if it's abused.
While Carisa made excellent arguments about how when we allow people to have our data, we give them power, I'm still a little skeptical. This has nothing to do with her writing, but I'm just a bit of a nihilist when it comes to these tech subjects. The author gives some great ways we can protect our data and regulations that should be put in place. And while I don't believe it's as big of a threat as some feel it is, I would vote for legislation regulating Big Tech's ability to access our data in a heartbeat.
What I love about Carisa is that she's a philosopher, so she has a whole new perspective about the case for privacy. As someone who has a social media presence and works in marketing, I'm often surprised that people don't know all of the ways our data is collected, and that's one of the reasons I don't read books like this. But Carisa was able to make a multitude of arguments that I hadn't thought of yet. Personally, I feel the most compelling argument she made that hadn't crossed my mind is that my data isn't just about me; it can affect people I know if it's abused.
While Carisa made excellent arguments about how when we allow people to have our data, we give them power, I'm still a little skeptical. This has nothing to do with her writing, but I'm just a bit of a nihilist when it comes to these tech subjects. The author gives some great ways we can protect our data and regulations that should be put in place. And while I don't believe it's as big of a threat as some feel it is, I would vote for legislation regulating Big Tech's ability to access our data in a heartbeat.
December 9, 2020
An interesting look at the idea of privacy as it relates to big tech and data, charting the past and present and suggesting ways that individuals might grasp back some of their privacy online. The opening chapter goes through an extreme day, highlighting a range of ways a person's privacy might be impacted by the technology in their life, and then the rest of the book discusses what tech companies have done, citing commonly used and lesser known examples and also touching on the current pandemic and the impact it has had on data privacy or lack thereof.
I enjoyed the parts focusing on what privacy actually is and why it matters, and on how power is mixed up in privacy, as this felt like interesting ground to consider, and I agree with the message about privacy being collective, but I felt that the closing chapter's focus on individual privacy settings/browser/passwords didn't quite get across the need for much wider change, putting more onus on the individual.
It's perhaps aimed more at people who are fairly new to debates around big tech and the importance of loss of privacy in the tech sphere (I read a fair few books on the topic, though I was reading this for teaching an online course, which I think it would be useful to refer to in), and would be a good gift for someone who has some interest in the technology they use, but hasn't necessarily read much about the companies behind the tech or how personal data has been gathered and used.
I enjoyed the parts focusing on what privacy actually is and why it matters, and on how power is mixed up in privacy, as this felt like interesting ground to consider, and I agree with the message about privacy being collective, but I felt that the closing chapter's focus on individual privacy settings/browser/passwords didn't quite get across the need for much wider change, putting more onus on the individual.
It's perhaps aimed more at people who are fairly new to debates around big tech and the importance of loss of privacy in the tech sphere (I read a fair few books on the topic, though I was reading this for teaching an online course, which I think it would be useful to refer to in), and would be a good gift for someone who has some interest in the technology they use, but hasn't necessarily read much about the companies behind the tech or how personal data has been gathered and used.
October 19, 2022
Not all tech is bad.
I wanted to expand my understanding of privacy and its importance. I care about privacy and believe the tech industry could do much better on this crucial topic.
While "Privacy is Power" helped me a bit, overall, I would not recommend it to anyone. The author strikes a very negative tone. If you were to take this book at its word, the sky is falling. The author cherry-picks examples that support her pessimistic message, ignoring everything else. Even WW2 and nazi Germany were invoked at one point.
I still managed to get some value from reading this book. It was even worthwhile to understand that some people see the current status quo as "the sky is falling"! I plan to read "Why Privacy Matters" at some point in the future, and I hope it might be a book I could recommend about privacy.
I wanted to expand my understanding of privacy and its importance. I care about privacy and believe the tech industry could do much better on this crucial topic.
While "Privacy is Power" helped me a bit, overall, I would not recommend it to anyone. The author strikes a very negative tone. If you were to take this book at its word, the sky is falling. The author cherry-picks examples that support her pessimistic message, ignoring everything else. Even WW2 and nazi Germany were invoked at one point.
I still managed to get some value from reading this book. It was even worthwhile to understand that some people see the current status quo as "the sky is falling"! I plan to read "Why Privacy Matters" at some point in the future, and I hope it might be a book I could recommend about privacy.
November 30, 2021
Worth grinding through. Last chapter gives practical advice for individuals, second to last chapter does so for policy makers.
July 1, 2021
Dr Véliz, if you are reading this I assure you that it is nothing personal! I am currently researching privacy from an applied ethics approach where I discovered your research, and I know you have read all the articles and books I have read on this topic, so I find it hard to understand why someone with the philosophical credentials you have failed to write a book that engaged with the real philosophical issues. I also read every article referenced in the book, which are mainly Guardian type articles, rather than the heavy weight literature on this topic (no JJ Thomson, Gavison, Rachels, Posner, Allen, Bentham?).
My biggest disappointment is that the concept of privacy is not clearly explored and defined in order that the real threats and challenges to privacy can be investigated. Privacy is used in several senses: the 'right to be let alone', as 'access to one's person' and as control over information about oneself. I would expect these overlapping and sometimes conflicting elements of 'privacy' to have been unpacked in a full length book. The book does touch on some more philosophical ideas, the value of forgetting, what is a healthy degree of concealment – and from whom – but these discussions are generally kept to one paragraph.
For example, is a machine capable of violating one's informational privacy, even if no human (or sentient being) ever sees the data it mines and passes on?
Instead, the approach the book takes is to lay out a 100 pages of (what are suggested to be) loss-of-privacy horror stories: the preacher that killed himself after the Ashley Madison leak, the crazed stalker that bought a unrequited high school love's data in 1999 in order to locate and then murder her, the man who was arrested on suspicion of rape and murder he did not commit after a relative made their DNA profile public. There are plenty of examples of what we could call harms to the individual. But if, as Véliz suggests, (p.63) 'we should never allow a technology to run amok based on a best-case scenario,' then I would suggest that we should also not advocate for returning to storing information on paper and 'dumb' devices based on worst-case scenarios. From this book you would think that tech and data sharing has not had any positive effects. Even in the above mentioned case of the man falsely accused of murder based on a relatives DNA profile, the inconvenience he faced is focused on (which is being arrested and detained for several hours), rather than the fact that it was actually a distant relative of his that had committed the murder! A murder for which another innocent man had been in prison for 20 years, and was subsequently freed and the right man incarcerated. To be fair, the book lays out the fact that it going to try and scare you into deleting Facebook and buying CDs again, but I'm really not sure that is what we needed, Black Mirror and the like does a much better job of instilling techno-phobia.
The other running argument is the ever-present threat of an authoritarian take over, summed up here, (p.136) 'Your country might be respectful of your human rights today, but can you be absolutely sure that it will continue to be so in five or ten years’ time?' But this logic can be applied to EVERYTHING: trains? no thanks, they can be used to transport us to the concentration camps! I totally agree that we have to minimise the threat of a totalitarian regime coming to power, but that doesn't align with the book's suggestion that state regulation is the solution to ending privacy violations. A smaller government would also be a possible solution.
Anyway, I could go on, but I won't. On the plus side, the book is only a 150 odd pages and if you know absolutely nothing on the topic it could be a good way to get an overview of the argument against surveillance, or surveillance capitalism. I hope I get the chance to discuss these disagreements with Dr Véliz directly someday.
My biggest disappointment is that the concept of privacy is not clearly explored and defined in order that the real threats and challenges to privacy can be investigated. Privacy is used in several senses: the 'right to be let alone', as 'access to one's person' and as control over information about oneself. I would expect these overlapping and sometimes conflicting elements of 'privacy' to have been unpacked in a full length book. The book does touch on some more philosophical ideas, the value of forgetting, what is a healthy degree of concealment – and from whom – but these discussions are generally kept to one paragraph.
For example, is a machine capable of violating one's informational privacy, even if no human (or sentient being) ever sees the data it mines and passes on?
Instead, the approach the book takes is to lay out a 100 pages of (what are suggested to be) loss-of-privacy horror stories: the preacher that killed himself after the Ashley Madison leak, the crazed stalker that bought a unrequited high school love's data in 1999 in order to locate and then murder her, the man who was arrested on suspicion of rape and murder he did not commit after a relative made their DNA profile public. There are plenty of examples of what we could call harms to the individual. But if, as Véliz suggests, (p.63) 'we should never allow a technology to run amok based on a best-case scenario,' then I would suggest that we should also not advocate for returning to storing information on paper and 'dumb' devices based on worst-case scenarios. From this book you would think that tech and data sharing has not had any positive effects. Even in the above mentioned case of the man falsely accused of murder based on a relatives DNA profile, the inconvenience he faced is focused on (which is being arrested and detained for several hours), rather than the fact that it was actually a distant relative of his that had committed the murder! A murder for which another innocent man had been in prison for 20 years, and was subsequently freed and the right man incarcerated. To be fair, the book lays out the fact that it going to try and scare you into deleting Facebook and buying CDs again, but I'm really not sure that is what we needed, Black Mirror and the like does a much better job of instilling techno-phobia.
The other running argument is the ever-present threat of an authoritarian take over, summed up here, (p.136) 'Your country might be respectful of your human rights today, but can you be absolutely sure that it will continue to be so in five or ten years’ time?' But this logic can be applied to EVERYTHING: trains? no thanks, they can be used to transport us to the concentration camps! I totally agree that we have to minimise the threat of a totalitarian regime coming to power, but that doesn't align with the book's suggestion that state regulation is the solution to ending privacy violations. A smaller government would also be a possible solution.
Anyway, I could go on, but I won't. On the plus side, the book is only a 150 odd pages and if you know absolutely nothing on the topic it could be a good way to get an overview of the argument against surveillance, or surveillance capitalism. I hope I get the chance to discuss these disagreements with Dr Véliz directly someday.
December 10, 2020
A very toxic book from a person with high stakes in the show.
The problem with the lack of privacy are the dozens of spy agencies empowered by secret laws and secret tribunals to keep the people in power there. The problem is compound with the hundreds of other agencies that have power over the lives of people for anything imaginable and than some more. Care to have a certain plant in your garden? Masked thugs will break your home and throw you in jail. Care to have people the government doesn't want in your home? Same story. Each time it is the same story.
Now here comes Veliz. A person who lives the good living out of the taxes collected by those people in power. And not just the good life, there are more perks in the life of a supporter of the system: paid trips for "research", a generous pension plan, and more. Than there are the benefits of the good middle class life: tax deducted home improvements, a hybrid car partly paid by the people who are actually doing the productive work. Or paid by the poor who still don't get that alcohol and cigarettes aren't good for them. All ready to pay taxes for Veliz could tell them what they should think.
So what is the solution to this invented problem? More Government power! And when the time comes, and when they expand the Government with more secret Agencies, maybe they will bestow an even better paid job to their humble servant, Veliz, the useful bureaucrat.
So yes, privacy is power. And Veliz is teaching you how to protect the privacy of your beloved rulers, while paying to be stripped naked at the airport, while having to pay more for your Internet and phone because your conversations have to be recorded, and having to pay more for any banking services, because you might never know, but you might be a closeted terrorist.
The problem with the lack of privacy are the dozens of spy agencies empowered by secret laws and secret tribunals to keep the people in power there. The problem is compound with the hundreds of other agencies that have power over the lives of people for anything imaginable and than some more. Care to have a certain plant in your garden? Masked thugs will break your home and throw you in jail. Care to have people the government doesn't want in your home? Same story. Each time it is the same story.
Now here comes Veliz. A person who lives the good living out of the taxes collected by those people in power. And not just the good life, there are more perks in the life of a supporter of the system: paid trips for "research", a generous pension plan, and more. Than there are the benefits of the good middle class life: tax deducted home improvements, a hybrid car partly paid by the people who are actually doing the productive work. Or paid by the poor who still don't get that alcohol and cigarettes aren't good for them. All ready to pay taxes for Veliz could tell them what they should think.
So what is the solution to this invented problem? More Government power! And when the time comes, and when they expand the Government with more secret Agencies, maybe they will bestow an even better paid job to their humble servant, Veliz, the useful bureaucrat.
So yes, privacy is power. And Veliz is teaching you how to protect the privacy of your beloved rulers, while paying to be stripped naked at the airport, while having to pay more for your Internet and phone because your conversations have to be recorded, and having to pay more for any banking services, because you might never know, but you might be a closeted terrorist.
February 20, 2021
Interesting book which revealed the scale and depth of the data economy. Contained lots of information that I didn’t know or hadn’t considered. I consider myself reasonably tech savvy but even I’m wide open, data wise. Book contained ideas on how to proceed from here, privacy settings, ad blockers, restricting the data you give out. Only complaint was a slight over-repetition of certain points.
February 26, 2021
Great book, and a must-read for every netizen (so basically everyone who surfs the web or uses digital products/services).
It elaborates on why privacy is indeed power, and why we should reclaim our privacy and insist on proper privacy legislation.
Even if you are one of the people who "have nothing to hide", this book will help you understand why it is still important to stay private; important for you as an individual, for our democracies, and society as a whole.
It elaborates on why privacy is indeed power, and why we should reclaim our privacy and insist on proper privacy legislation.
Even if you are one of the people who "have nothing to hide", this book will help you understand why it is still important to stay private; important for you as an individual, for our democracies, and society as a whole.
November 12, 2020
A critical read for every tech user, it makes you realise how important privacy is in all aspects of your life and how to better protect your data so it stays private.
April 18, 2021
[disappears from the internet forever]
May 11, 2021
This is a chilling and helpful book. I had to wait so long for my turn at the library that I had forgotten why I put it on my hold list in the first place. I almost just cancelled the hold, but I am really glad that I didn't. This short book will tell you a lot that you already know: big tech does not benefit from protecting our privacy and will do as little as it can. I was particularly struck by the example of Google maps, which I use a lot and which allows you to opt out of location tracking--except that, unless you know about and manage to locate an obscure other tab, it will still track at least some of your location, including where you are when you open the app. The final chapter is a list of strategies that you can employ to preserve more of your privacy. Véliz also includes a clear discussion of how regulation of big tech needs to change, beginning with privacy as the default (opt in rather than opt out). For example, if I don't want to use Siri on my iPhone, I cannot just turn Siri off. I must also go through every single app (including the ones Apple loads that I don't use) clicking several options to prevent Siri from "learning from" what I do on the app.
This book is short (about 200 pages) and very readable. Véliz explains in clear, accessible language what we need to do and is actually optimistic about getting it done. Highly recommended for anyone who doesn't want Big Tech constantly "learning from" everything they do.
This book is short (about 200 pages) and very readable. Véliz explains in clear, accessible language what we need to do and is actually optimistic about getting it done. Highly recommended for anyone who doesn't want Big Tech constantly "learning from" everything they do.
February 28, 2021
Tämän kirjan arvostelu Goodreadsiin kertoo, ettei ole ymmärtänyt kirjasta mitään. Tieto on valtaa ja yksityinen tieto on ylivaltaa. Yksityisyytemme on uhattuna joka puolelta tapahtuvan valvonnan ja seurannan takia. Se uhkaa vapauttamme ja sitä myöten koko vapaata yhteiskuntaamme. Tiedot kerättiin ja kerätään lupaa kysymättä, aina uusia vippaskonsteja kehittäen. Tämä aloitettiin hiljaa ja salassa. Lopulta on päädytty tilanteeseen, jossa tietoa käyttämällä meidät tunnetaan paremmin kuin lähes itsekään tunnemme, meitä voidaan ohjailla haluttuun suuntaan ja samalla aiheutamme itse toisillemme riskejä, koska tietoja yhdistelemällä lähes kenestä tahansa saadaan kaivettua tietoa, haluttaessa. Riskit tietomurtoihin ja muihin rikoksiin kasvavat. Vapautemme valita kaventuu.
Kuuntelin kirjan kanssa samaan aikaan Sacha Baron Cohenin haastattelun Swayn podcastissa puhumassa erittäin fiksuja. Taustaa antoi myös äskettäin kuuntelevani, saman lehtitalon vanhempi podcast, Rabbit Hole.
(Itsessään kirja oli hyvä tiivistelmä asiasta, jonka suurin osa varmaan tietää. Mutta ei välitä. Eikä tämän lukemisenkaan jälkeen.)
Kuuntelin kirjan kanssa samaan aikaan Sacha Baron Cohenin haastattelun Swayn podcastissa puhumassa erittäin fiksuja. Taustaa antoi myös äskettäin kuuntelevani, saman lehtitalon vanhempi podcast, Rabbit Hole.
(Itsessään kirja oli hyvä tiivistelmä asiasta, jonka suurin osa varmaan tietää. Mutta ei välitä. Eikä tämän lukemisenkaan jälkeen.)
Read
November 20, 2022No es la obra más revolucionaria del mundo (más bien rezuma nostalgia liberal por los cuatro costados) ni la más compleja que aborde esta cuestión, pero es un buen punto de partida para enfrentarse al capitalismo de la vigilancia y al extractivismo de datos que configura gran parte de nuestra economía y nuestras vidas a día de hoy. Escrito en un estilo divulgativo y claro, Carissa Véliz logra exponer sin complicaciones cuál es la situación actual, cómo hemos llegado hasta aquí, qué repercusiones políticas y personales tiene y qué podemos hacer para remediarlo. Asimismo, es un alegato cuidado a favor de la privacidad que a mí personalmente me ha servido para valorarla más, algo que hasta ahora hacía solo relativamente. No hace milagros, pero cumple con creces con su papel, que no es poco.
August 19, 2023
O livro é interessante. Fala do tema de uma forma abrangente (embora por vezes um pouco repetitiva) e dá algumas dicas práticas para aumentarmos a nossa privacidade online.
Só é pena que não tenha tido uma edição portuguesa mais cuidada. Muitos erros de tradução/edição estavam a tornar a leitura penosa, pelo que acabei por pegar na versão original inglesa para terminar o livro. (Por causa disso, apercebi-me que esta é a tradução do livro editado nos USA, que não coincide exatamente com a original do UK. Não faço ideia porque é que a Editora optou por publicar a tradução da edição norte-americana.)
Só é pena que não tenha tido uma edição portuguesa mais cuidada. Muitos erros de tradução/edição estavam a tornar a leitura penosa, pelo que acabei por pegar na versão original inglesa para terminar o livro. (Por causa disso, apercebi-me que esta é a tradução do livro editado nos USA, que não coincide exatamente com a original do UK. Não faço ideia porque é que a Editora optou por publicar a tradução da edição norte-americana.)
March 3, 2022
Carissa warns the reader about all types of data capturing that inevitably result in microtargeting ads or in macromanipulative elections (or referendums - this one for you, UK). That last chapter about good privacy-related practices was quite useful.
August 24, 2022
Really wish I hadn’t bought this from Amazon
January 6, 2021
“Oh, so you’re doing history, not philosophy”
“Privacy is dead. Get used to it. Nothing to think about”
These are some gut reactions from friends and colleagues to Carissa Veliz’s choice of privacy for academic study as Associate Professor at Oxford University. More sympathetic responses tried to refocus her on a topic of research with brighter prospects.
Were these doubters justified? Whether we fell into the rabbit hole of privacy by accident, or by design, soundbites like these are frequently heard, and as a technologist myself, the feeling of swimming against the tide is a familiar one.
Based on her book “Privacy is Power”, by putting the ‘death’ of privacy, and rise of the Data Economy in a historical context, Veliz sheds new light on the invasiveness of current power structures, and how vulnerable to regulation, public opinion and collective action they now are.
Veliz’s book starts with a day in the life of a tracked individual which sufficiently lurid to remind me of my festive blowout with Stephen King novels, but an effective break from the norm of academic or ‘compliance’ language around privacy.
Devices, web cookies and corporations really are capturing, analysing and monetising every moment (and indiscretion) of our lives, from lovers’ heartbeats to the keystrokes of emails and social messages which are never sent.
The reduction by tech of people with rights to monetised ‘users’ has been called a fair deal for digital convenience but in reality, from AdTech through to health AI, the value exchange with personal data is unequal, broken or non-existent in the first place.
Even those who won big in this now regret the logical conclusion of the Data Trade; after Facebook bought WhatsApp, Brian Acton, one of the co-founders, admitted “I sold my users’ privacy”.
Still, there is a wide scale of variance in the amount of profiling data when it comes to messaging services, as new research shows:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffm...
Facebook is a familiar target as it enabled bad actors like Cambridge Analytica to harvest and weaponize the data of 200 million users via our contacts and the human need to socialise. Google also comes under attack for its control of web advertising and political dialogue (it is by far the biggest spender in the US on lobbying), even as it starts to behave like a regulator itself.
Veliz explodes myths about how much data is needed to keep progress marching along, largely because it’s tempting to think more data = smarter AI, or more personal = better healthcare, so-called ‘magical thinking’.
In fact, data overload may impede our thinking and decision-making capabilities, and doesn’t add value in most cases. Human forgetting is partly a value-add process of filtering what’s important, and in any case most of the ‘training’ for AI’s is done by manually by humans jockeying the software or literally listening in to conversations.
It’s helpful to hear my own thoughts echoed on how valid concerns and best intentions around security were used to undermine our right to privacy. Seen historically, one of the tragedies of the 9/11 attacks was abandonment of planned regulation for data commerce which has only started to be tackled now with GDPR, CCPA & similar laws.
It’s also useful to have analytical, critical light shone onto the efforts of tech and governments to increase surveillance in the fight against COVID, even as this plays out in real time: https://www.zdnet.com/article/singapo...
It will always be a struggle to keep personal data safe when interacting with companies that do not have the public good as their main objective, and in some cases have replaced human organisations which regulate and promote healthy behaviour.
That’s why solutions to the privacy problem need to focus on the collective, and for Veliz the path is clear: “We need to put our full weight behind privacy agencies to make sure laws are enforced. And then we must regulate the data economy into oblivion”.
Where I diverge from the author is her belief, found often in an academic and policy space that there is no role for citizens to monetise their own data, as this will debase our rights and create more ‘collateral damage’.
I think there is plenty of space for tech to enable a New Data Economy with tools to provide smaller businesses and existing social groups with new sources of income and agency and, from the “Yang Gang” in the US to data unions and trusts in Europe and the UK, there is all to play for.
As the author covers engagingly and accessibly, language is power. If we can socialise some of the new concepts around data citizenship then 2021 is indeed a historical moment to end the Wild West of data commerce and set the privacy landscape for the next few decades. Now that’s an exciting topic!
“Privacy is dead. Get used to it. Nothing to think about”
These are some gut reactions from friends and colleagues to Carissa Veliz’s choice of privacy for academic study as Associate Professor at Oxford University. More sympathetic responses tried to refocus her on a topic of research with brighter prospects.
Were these doubters justified? Whether we fell into the rabbit hole of privacy by accident, or by design, soundbites like these are frequently heard, and as a technologist myself, the feeling of swimming against the tide is a familiar one.
Based on her book “Privacy is Power”, by putting the ‘death’ of privacy, and rise of the Data Economy in a historical context, Veliz sheds new light on the invasiveness of current power structures, and how vulnerable to regulation, public opinion and collective action they now are.
Veliz’s book starts with a day in the life of a tracked individual which sufficiently lurid to remind me of my festive blowout with Stephen King novels, but an effective break from the norm of academic or ‘compliance’ language around privacy.
Devices, web cookies and corporations really are capturing, analysing and monetising every moment (and indiscretion) of our lives, from lovers’ heartbeats to the keystrokes of emails and social messages which are never sent.
The reduction by tech of people with rights to monetised ‘users’ has been called a fair deal for digital convenience but in reality, from AdTech through to health AI, the value exchange with personal data is unequal, broken or non-existent in the first place.
Even those who won big in this now regret the logical conclusion of the Data Trade; after Facebook bought WhatsApp, Brian Acton, one of the co-founders, admitted “I sold my users’ privacy”.
Still, there is a wide scale of variance in the amount of profiling data when it comes to messaging services, as new research shows:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffm...
Facebook is a familiar target as it enabled bad actors like Cambridge Analytica to harvest and weaponize the data of 200 million users via our contacts and the human need to socialise. Google also comes under attack for its control of web advertising and political dialogue (it is by far the biggest spender in the US on lobbying), even as it starts to behave like a regulator itself.
Veliz explodes myths about how much data is needed to keep progress marching along, largely because it’s tempting to think more data = smarter AI, or more personal = better healthcare, so-called ‘magical thinking’.
In fact, data overload may impede our thinking and decision-making capabilities, and doesn’t add value in most cases. Human forgetting is partly a value-add process of filtering what’s important, and in any case most of the ‘training’ for AI’s is done by manually by humans jockeying the software or literally listening in to conversations.
It’s helpful to hear my own thoughts echoed on how valid concerns and best intentions around security were used to undermine our right to privacy. Seen historically, one of the tragedies of the 9/11 attacks was abandonment of planned regulation for data commerce which has only started to be tackled now with GDPR, CCPA & similar laws.
It’s also useful to have analytical, critical light shone onto the efforts of tech and governments to increase surveillance in the fight against COVID, even as this plays out in real time: https://www.zdnet.com/article/singapo...
It will always be a struggle to keep personal data safe when interacting with companies that do not have the public good as their main objective, and in some cases have replaced human organisations which regulate and promote healthy behaviour.
That’s why solutions to the privacy problem need to focus on the collective, and for Veliz the path is clear: “We need to put our full weight behind privacy agencies to make sure laws are enforced. And then we must regulate the data economy into oblivion”.
Where I diverge from the author is her belief, found often in an academic and policy space that there is no role for citizens to monetise their own data, as this will debase our rights and create more ‘collateral damage’.
I think there is plenty of space for tech to enable a New Data Economy with tools to provide smaller businesses and existing social groups with new sources of income and agency and, from the “Yang Gang” in the US to data unions and trusts in Europe and the UK, there is all to play for.
As the author covers engagingly and accessibly, language is power. If we can socialise some of the new concepts around data citizenship then 2021 is indeed a historical moment to end the Wild West of data commerce and set the privacy landscape for the next few decades. Now that’s an exciting topic!
March 21, 2021
I have philosophically very different view in a sense that I think a post-privacy world would actually enable more Liberty than a privacy-obsessed society. But ultimately I also installed the full package of privacy protection...so maybe Carissa convinced me after all.
July 3, 2022
A terrific primer on the data economy and what's at stake for individuals and societies.
October 11, 2021
Bastante decepcionante. Esperaba más, mucho más.
El primer capítulo nos da una idea de como nos roban nuestra intimidad cada día ( algunos ejemplos son algo extremos pero es informativo). Un segundo capítulo donde se explica la evolución de la economía de la vigilancia (muy interesante el impacto del 11-S)
Y hasta ahí llega lo bueno: el resto del libro es un intento irrelevante de intentar justificar el derecho universal de la privacidad (con ideas algo incongruentes y poco trabajadas) y terminamos con un capítulo de recomendaciones entre las que está leer libros en papel y limitar el uso de tecnologías…..
El primer capítulo nos da una idea de como nos roban nuestra intimidad cada día ( algunos ejemplos son algo extremos pero es informativo). Un segundo capítulo donde se explica la evolución de la economía de la vigilancia (muy interesante el impacto del 11-S)
Y hasta ahí llega lo bueno: el resto del libro es un intento irrelevante de intentar justificar el derecho universal de la privacidad (con ideas algo incongruentes y poco trabajadas) y terminamos con un capítulo de recomendaciones entre las que está leer libros en papel y limitar el uso de tecnologías…..
January 26, 2022
Este libro tiene verdades como catedrales y me he sentido como despertando de la Matrix.
Empezar resaltando que el negocio de internet son los #datos, nuestros datos. En “Privacidad es Poder”, se comenta y desarrolla con una plausible base bibliográfica, como empresas nos utilizan como peones en una partida que no hemos elegido jugar, absorbiendo nuestros datos, incluso en contra de nuestra voluntad.
Si miras el teléfono a primera hora, el fabricante, tus aplicaciones y probablemente tu compañía de teléfono, saben a qué hora te despiertas, donde has dormido (y con quién). Si llevas puesto un reloj inteligente, perdiste datos incluso mientras dormías. Si tienes un asistente digital tipo Alexa, o incluso un altavoz inteligente, tienes un compañero de todo el día, que te escucha -y graba- aunque no lo solicites. Luego, compartes tus datos cuando tienes reuniones por Zoom u otros, cuando revisas tu Facebook, Instagram, etc. Sabemos que compartimos nuestros datos, nos parece normal, incluso que está bien, dado que recibimos un servicio “gratuito”, pero no, ya sabemos que “no hay lonche gratis”, el producto somos nosotros, nuestros datos. Básicamente todas esas aplicaciones se financian con nuestros datos, casi siempre, con la venta de estos, a sabe Dios qué empresas y con qué fines.
Cuando las empresas comparten nuestros datos, lo primero que hacen es clasificarte, según tu personalidad, espontaneidad, grado de extroversión, afabilidad, tu propensión a emociones negativas (ira, miedo). Es decir, te conocen casi más que tú o que tu familia y amigos. Esto se presta a robos de identidad, extorsiones, discriminaciones injustas, etc., amén de las propagandas invasivas que recibimos y de temas más gruesos como el de Cambridge Analytica en EEUU, el caso del Brexit, el referéndum de Irlanda y otros. Sin duda Perú no es la excepción de estos alcances, basta ver la cantidad de noticias falsas, especialmente en época electoral. Entonces la privacidad de tus datos ya no es solo personal, sino se torna en colectiva.
Lo comentado es apenas una introducción de lo que desarrolla el libro. Felicito y agradezco a Carissa Véliz por el trabajo realizado y la valentía de publicarlo. Recomiendo muchísimo su lectura.
Les comparto algunos cambios que estoy implementando, con base en las sugerencias del libro:
· Solo compartiré fotos e información que considere necesaria, si hay un tercero involucrado, le preguntaré si puedo publicar la foto y si está bien que lo etiquete.
· Cambié mi buscador a DuckDuckGo, no comparte la información con terceros.
· He pasado mi chat familiar a Signal, Telegram tb sirve.
· Utilizar un navegador alternativo: Safari, Firefox, Vivaldi, Opera.
· Desconectar el Wifi de mi teléfono cuando salgo de casa. · Elegir contraseñas más seguras y modificarlas de vez en cuando.
· Verificar mis configuraciones de privacidad.
Empezar resaltando que el negocio de internet son los #datos, nuestros datos. En “Privacidad es Poder”, se comenta y desarrolla con una plausible base bibliográfica, como empresas nos utilizan como peones en una partida que no hemos elegido jugar, absorbiendo nuestros datos, incluso en contra de nuestra voluntad.
Si miras el teléfono a primera hora, el fabricante, tus aplicaciones y probablemente tu compañía de teléfono, saben a qué hora te despiertas, donde has dormido (y con quién). Si llevas puesto un reloj inteligente, perdiste datos incluso mientras dormías. Si tienes un asistente digital tipo Alexa, o incluso un altavoz inteligente, tienes un compañero de todo el día, que te escucha -y graba- aunque no lo solicites. Luego, compartes tus datos cuando tienes reuniones por Zoom u otros, cuando revisas tu Facebook, Instagram, etc. Sabemos que compartimos nuestros datos, nos parece normal, incluso que está bien, dado que recibimos un servicio “gratuito”, pero no, ya sabemos que “no hay lonche gratis”, el producto somos nosotros, nuestros datos. Básicamente todas esas aplicaciones se financian con nuestros datos, casi siempre, con la venta de estos, a sabe Dios qué empresas y con qué fines.
Cuando las empresas comparten nuestros datos, lo primero que hacen es clasificarte, según tu personalidad, espontaneidad, grado de extroversión, afabilidad, tu propensión a emociones negativas (ira, miedo). Es decir, te conocen casi más que tú o que tu familia y amigos. Esto se presta a robos de identidad, extorsiones, discriminaciones injustas, etc., amén de las propagandas invasivas que recibimos y de temas más gruesos como el de Cambridge Analytica en EEUU, el caso del Brexit, el referéndum de Irlanda y otros. Sin duda Perú no es la excepción de estos alcances, basta ver la cantidad de noticias falsas, especialmente en época electoral. Entonces la privacidad de tus datos ya no es solo personal, sino se torna en colectiva.
Lo comentado es apenas una introducción de lo que desarrolla el libro. Felicito y agradezco a Carissa Véliz por el trabajo realizado y la valentía de publicarlo. Recomiendo muchísimo su lectura.
Les comparto algunos cambios que estoy implementando, con base en las sugerencias del libro:
· Solo compartiré fotos e información que considere necesaria, si hay un tercero involucrado, le preguntaré si puedo publicar la foto y si está bien que lo etiquete.
· Cambié mi buscador a DuckDuckGo, no comparte la información con terceros.
· He pasado mi chat familiar a Signal, Telegram tb sirve.
· Utilizar un navegador alternativo: Safari, Firefox, Vivaldi, Opera.
· Desconectar el Wifi de mi teléfono cuando salgo de casa. · Elegir contraseñas más seguras y modificarlas de vez en cuando.
· Verificar mis configuraciones de privacidad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews