Here’s a list of notable privacy books published in 2011.
Saul Levmore & Martha Nussbaum, eds., The Offensive Internet (Harvard 2011)
This is a great collection of essays about the clash of free speech and privacy online. I have a book chapter in this volume along with Martha Nussbaum, Cass Sunstein, Brian Leiter, Danielle Citron, Frank Pasquale, Geoffrey Stone, and many others.
Daniel J. Solove, Nothing to Hide: The False Tradeoff Between Privacy and Security (Yale 2011)
Nothing to Hide “succinctly and persuasively debunks the arguments that have contributed to privacy’s demise, including the canard that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear from surveillance. Privacy, he reminds us, is an essential aspect of human existence, and of a healthy liberal democracy—a right that protects the innocent, not just the guilty.” — David Cole, New York Review of Books
Jeff Jarvis, Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live (Simon & Schuster 2011)
I strongly disagree with a lot of what Jarvis says, but the book is certainly provocative and engaging.
Daniel J. Solove & Paul M. Schwartz, Privacy Law Fundamentals (IAPP 2011)
“A key resource for busy professional practitioners. Solove and Schwartz have succeeded in distilling the fundamentals of privacy law in a manner accessible to a broad audience.” – Jules Polonetsky, Future of Privacy Forum
Eli Pariser, The Filter Bubble (Penguin 2011)
An interesting critique of the personalization of the Internet. We often don’t see the Internet directly, but through tinted goggles designed by others who determine what we want to see.
Siva Vaidhyanathan, The Googlization of Everything (U. California 2011)
A vigorous critique of Google and other companies that shape the Internet. With regard to privacy, Vaidhyanathan explains how social media and other companies encourage people’s sharing of information through their architecture — and often confound people in their ability to control their reputation.
Susan Landau, Surveillance or Security? The Risk Posed by New Wiretapping Technologies (MIT 2011)
A compelling argument for how designing technologies around surveillance capabilities will undermine rather than promote security.
Kevin Mitnick, Ghost in the Wires (Little Brown 2011)
A fascinating account of the exploits of Kevin Mitnick, the famous ex-hacker who inspired War Games. His tales are quite engaging, and he demonstrates that hacking is often not just about technical wizardry but old-fashioned con-artistry.
Matt Ivester, lol . . . OMG! (CreateSpace 2011)
Ivester created Juicy Campus, the notorious college gossip website. After the site’s demise, Ivester changed his views about online gossip, recognizing the problems with Juicy Campus and the harms it caused. In this book, he offers thoughtful advice for students about what they post online.
Joseph Epstein, Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011)
A short engaging book that is filled with interesting stories and quotes about gossip. Highly literate, this book aims to expose gossip’s bad and good sides, and how new media are transforming gossip in troublesome ways.
Anita Allen, Unpopular Privacy (Oxford 2011)
My blurb: “We live in a world of increasing exposure, and privacy is increasingly imperiled by the torrent of information being released online. In this powerful book, Anita Allen examines when the law should mandate privacy and when it shouldn’t. With nuance and thoughtfulness, Allen bravely tackles some of the toughest questions about privacy law — those involving the appropriate level of legal paternalism. Unpopular Privacy is lively, engaging, and provocative. It is filled with vivid examples, complex and fascinating issues, and thought-provoking ideas.”
Frederick Lane, Cybertraps for the Young (NTI Upstream 2011)
A great overview of the various problems the Internet poses for children such as cyberbullying and sexting. This book is a very accessible overview for parents.
Clare Sullivan, Digital Identity (University of Adelaide Press 2011)
Australian scholar Clare Sullivan explores the rise of “digital identity,” which is used for engaging in various transactions. Instead of arguing against systematized identification, she sees the future as heading inevitably in that direction and proposes a robust set of rights individuals should have over such identities. This is a thoughtful and pragmatic book, with a great discussion of Australian, UK, and EU law.
Originally Posted at Concurring Opinions
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This post was authored by Professor Daniel J. Solove, who through TeachPrivacy develops computer-based privacy training, data security training, HIPAA training, and many other forms of awareness training on privacy and security topics. Professor Solove also posts at his blog at LinkedIn. His blog has more than 1 million followers.
Professor Solove is the organizer, along with Paul Schwartz, of the Privacy + Security Forum and International Privacy + Security Forum, annual events designed for seasoned professionals.
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