Luke Martell reviewed Privacy is Power by Carissa Véliz
Review of Privacy is Power
4 stars
If you're already 'in the know' about this topic you may not learn too much from this book. But as an introduction to the area it is very good, very readable and not too long. It not only outlines the topic but has two chapters on what individuals and societies can do about it. It's great to have a way forward and not just a critique. Its main limitation is that it stays within a liberal framework so at political level is mostly about change within existing structures - bans, regulations etc. It would be nice to know more about what she thinks of collective ownership of tech and the data commons. For this Tarnoff's Internet for the People is good where he puts the problem down to private ownership for profit and the solution as public ownership for the public good. Véliz has also written some great accessible articles …
If you're already 'in the know' about this topic you may not learn too much from this book. But as an introduction to the area it is very good, very readable and not too long. It not only outlines the topic but has two chapters on what individuals and societies can do about it. It's great to have a way forward and not just a critique. Its main limitation is that it stays within a liberal framework so at political level is mostly about change within existing structures - bans, regulations etc. It would be nice to know more about what she thinks of collective ownership of tech and the data commons. For this Tarnoff's Internet for the People is good where he puts the problem down to private ownership for profit and the solution as public ownership for the public good. Véliz has also written some great accessible articles on the topic which you can find with an internet search.