Exploding Data
Reclaiming Our Cyber Security in the Digital Age
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- US$11.99
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A former Secretary of Homeland Security examines our outdated laws regarding the protection of personal information, and the pressing need for change.
Nothing undermines our freedom more than losing control of information about ourselves. And yet, as daily events underscore, we are ever more vulnerable to cyber-attack.
In this bracing book, Michael Chertoff makes clear that our laws and policies surrounding the protection of personal information, written for an earlier time, are long overdue for a complete overhaul. On the one hand, the collection of data—more widespread by business than by government, and impossible to stop—should be facilitated as an ultimate protection for society. On the other, standards under which information can be inspected, analyzed, or used must be significantly tightened. In offering his compelling call for action, Chertoff argues that what is at stake is not so much the simple loss of privacy, which is almost impossible to protect, but of individual autonomy—the ability to make personal choices free of manipulation or coercion.
Offering vivid stories over many decades that illuminate the three periods of data gathering we have experienced, Chertoff explains the complex legalities surrounding issues of data collection and dissemination today, and charts a path that balances the needs of government, business, and individuals alike.
"Surveys the brave new world of data collection and analysis…The world of data as illuminated here would have scared George Orwell."―Kirkus Reviews
"Chertoff has a unique perspective on data security and its implications for citizen rights as he looks at the history of and changes in privacy laws since the founding of the U.S."—Booklist
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Chertoff, former federal appeals court judge and secretary of homeland security from 2005 to 2009, argues bluntly in this useful overview of the scope and implications of the data revolution that the general notion of privacy, as "the ability to hide or shield our actions and thoughts from prying eyes" is too narrow a value. In a world governed by data analytics, Chertoff asserts, "what we can and should care about is the broader value of autonomy, which is at the very core of freedom." He makes clear the alarming extent that personal autonomy "the freedom to make personal choices that affect our values and our destiny" is in jeopardy today and the necessary legal changes needed to retain it. He begins with the basics of how digital communications work and then provides a history of surveillance in America. Wireless internet access, smart phones, and cloud storage have rapidly increased the rate of data collection and analysis in the private sector, allowing companies to sell targeted ads and, more significantly, assess the behavior of individual users and then sell that information to other companies for purposes like insurance provider pricing. Chertoff proposes common-sense recommendations as to how laws should change to keep pace with evolving technology, advocating for stronger restrictions on government and corporate "analysis, dissemination and use" of data. This book works as both a Big Data primer and a clear-sighted road map for legislative changes from a previous high-profile proponent of government surveillance.
