February 18, 2021

Kim’s favorite books about privacy

Author Kim Crawley shares her favorite books on privacy and cybersecurity.

I’m so happy to work for Startpage. Our search engine cares about privacy as much as I do. We have common goals. You see, I write about cybersecurity for a living. The CIA Triad is a fundamental cybersecurity concept– it stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. All cybersecurity problems and solutions affect one or more of these components. Privacy is definitely a part of the confidentiality principle. So protecting the privacy of your data is an important way to take care of your security.

I also write books. I co-wrote The Pentester Blueprint with Phil Wylie last year, a guide to ethical hacking careers. Currently, I’m working on another book about how businesses can improve their cybersecurity. So I really, really love books. You could say I’m an insider in the ‘books about cybersecurity’ realm.

If you enjoy Startpage then you obviously care about privacy too. We like to help people stay well informed about data privacy matters that impact them here on this blog. So I’m going to recommend some of my favorite books on data privacy. Check them out, because 2021 is a great year for reading!

Five privacy books from my bookshelf

On The End of Privacy – Richard E. Miller

If you’re worried that we might lose our privacy forever in this Digital Age, you’re in good company. Our Founder and CEO Robert Beens wrote a powerful open letter about why we need to be extra vigilant about our privacy recently. I recommend that you read it. And Miller’s book is also good reading if you want to explore the topic further.

“On the End of Privacy explores how literacy is transformed by online technology that lets us instantly publish anything that we can see or hear. Miller examines the 2010 suicide of Tyler Clementi, a young college student who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after he discovered that his roommate spied on him via webcam. With access to the text messages, tweets, and chatroom posts of those directly involved in this tragedy, Miller asks: why did no one intervene to stop the spying?”

Life After Privacy – Firmin DeBrabander

This book is highly recommended not only by me, but also many of the top minds in cybersecurity including Bruce Schneier and Cathy O’Neil.

“Privacy is gravely endangered in the digital age, and we, the digital citizens, are its principal threat, willingly surrendering it to avail ourselves of new technology, and granting the government and corporations immense power over us. In this highly original work, Firmin DeBrabander begins with this premise and asks how we can ensure and protect our freedom in the absence of privacy. Can―and should―we rally anew to support this institution? Is privacy so important to political liberty after all?”

It’s not a comfortable read, but it’s certainly an enlightening one.

Cyber Privacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care – April Falcon Doss

The author April Falcon Doss spent over a decade working at the National Security Agency, or NSA for short. So she definitely has some insight into digital surveillance. And, Doss gives you an inside look into this constant threat in her new book.

“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.”

Permanent Record – Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden is definitely a controversial figure. You don’t have to agree with him all the time. But, there’s no doubt that he rocked the world when he revealed how government agencies are spying on us. In fact, we continue to see the effects of his 2013 revelations to this day.

The movie based on Snowden’s story is good to watch, too. But this book taught me so much more. Give it a read!

“In 2013, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Snowden shocked the world when he broke with the American intelligence establishment and revealed that the United States government was secretly pursuing the means to collect every single phone call, text message, and email. The result would be an unprecedented system of mass surveillance with the ability to pry into the private lives of every person on earth. Six years later, Snowden reveals for the very first time how he helped to build this system and why he was moved to expose it.”

Privacy is Power – Carissa Veliz

I’m cheating a bit here. I haven’t read Veliz’s book because it won’t be published until June. But, I will definitely preorder it as soon as I can!

The book’s description intrigues me.

“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 organizations 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.”

So there you have it. Four great books you can read right now, and one that you can enjoy this summer. Or winter if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere!

Cram your brain with knowledge this year. Enjoy!

 

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