Here’s a cartoon about the nothing-to-hide argument. One of the most common arguments of those unconcerned about government surveillance or privacy invasions is “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
I wrote a book addressing this argument and other faulty arguments made in the debate about privacy versus security. Recently, I posted the full text of my book, NOTHING TO HIDE: THE FALSE TRADEOFF BETWEEN PRIVACY AND SECURITY (Yale University Press 2011) on SSRN for free.
Here are some notable books on privacy and security from 2021. To see a more comprehensive list of nonfiction works about privacy and security for all years, Professor Paul Schwartz and I maintain a resource page on Nonfiction Privacy + Security Books.
In this webinar, Daniel Solove (GW Law and TeachPrivacy), Justin Antonipillai (WireWheel), Peter Swire (Alston & Bird), Kenneth Propp (Atlantic Council), and Shannon Yavorsky (Orrick) discuss the latest developments regarding cross-border data transfers.
Professor Neil Richards has published a new book, Why Privacy Matters (Oxford University Press 2021), and it’s the perfect holiday gift for anyone interested in privacy.
Neil Richards is one of the world’s leading privacy experts. He holds the Koch Distinguished Chair in Law at Washington University in St. Louis where he also directs the Cordell Institute. He has published widely across the full range of privacy issues, and he has served as an expert in a number of high-profile privacy cases, most notably for the Irish government in the case of Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook, more commonly known as “Schrems 2.”
Professor Woodrow Hartzog (Northeastern Law) has written a great essay focusing on my work. The piece is
What is Privacy? That’s the Wrong Question
88 U. Chicago L. Rev. 1677 (2021)
In this webinar (1 hour), Daniel Solove, Justin Antonipillai (CEO and Founder of WireWheel), Mingli Shi (Qualcomm), and Edward R. McNicholas (Ropes & Gray) discuss China’s Personal Information Privacy Law (PIPL). The discussion covers how China’s PIPL compares to the EU’s GDPR, keys to compliance, and potential future developments on privacy and security law in China.
I’m delighted to be interviewing Professor Ari Waldman (Northeastern Law), who has published Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power (Cambridge University Press 2021), a provocative new book about privacy law and privacy programs at corporations.
In his book, Ari delivers an eviscerating critique of privacy law and of the approach to protect privacy through internal privacy programs at organizations. Although I diverge from Ari in that I believe that that many privacy law provisions and privacy programs are generally a good thing, his critique makes many salient points that must be reckoned with. Privacy law and compliance have significant shortcomings that should be addressed.
Halloween is this week, so I thought I’d bring this older cartoon out of the archive. I updated it a bit. Enjoy!
This cartoon is about implantable devices and privacy. Increasingly devices require subscriptions, and there is tremendous lock in, as the devices can only work with a particular company’s services. Implantable devices up the ante – a person could be locked in for life. The law must address lock in with more than data portability. When there are compelling reasons, such as devices that cannot readily be replaced, the law should require companies to allow other companies to supply necessary services to keep devices functioning.
