2/26/14
 
 

Think You're Anonymous Online? Think Again.

 

On why "free" Wi-Fi might not really be free

 

"I have a portable Wi-Fi device called a MiFi that I use in coffee shops and hotels and all the places that give you supposedly free Wi-Fi. The truth is, what we're learning in today's world is that nothing is free. If something is supposed to be free, then it really means they're taking your data. So what I've decided: I have to buy my way out of it ... Privacy is becoming a
luxury good."

NPR has a fascinating story about the web, surveillance and one's expectations of privacy in an interconnected, internet-addicted world. Julia Angwin, an investigative reporter, was wondering what Google knew about her, so she asked the company for her search data. "It turns out I had been doing about 26,000 Google searches a month ... and I was amazed at how revealing they were." This has became the basis of her brand new book, Dragnet Nation. "From NSA sweeps to commercial services scraping our Web browsing habits, to all kinds of people tracking us through our smartphones, Angwin says we've become a society where indiscriminate data-gathering has become the norm." You can listen to her conversation with Fresh Air's Dave Davies or check out the accompanying story with some of Angwin's thoughts on surveillance.

Read more ›
 

Buy the Book

Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security, and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance
by Julia Angwin

$21, at Amazon

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Save:
Think You're Anonymous Online? Think Again. | Valet.

2/26/14
 
 

Think You're Anonymous Online? Think Again.

 

On why "free" Wi-Fi might not really be free

 

"I have a portable Wi-Fi device called a MiFi that I use in coffee shops and hotels and all the places that give you supposedly free Wi-Fi. The truth is, what we're learning in today's world is that nothing is free. If something is supposed to be free, then it really means they're taking your data. So what I've decided: I have to buy my way out of it ... Privacy is becoming a
luxury good."

NPR has a fascinating story about the web, surveillance and one's expectations of privacy in an interconnected, internet-addicted world. Julia Angwin, an investigative reporter, was wondering what Google knew about her, so she asked the company for her search data. "It turns out I had been doing about 26,000 Google searches a month ... and I was amazed at how revealing they were." This has became the basis of her brand new book, Dragnet Nation. "From NSA sweeps to commercial services scraping our Web browsing habits, to all kinds of people tracking us through our smartphones, Angwin says we've become a society where indiscriminate data-gathering has become the norm." You can listen to her conversation with Fresh Air's Dave Davies or check out the accompanying story with some of Angwin's thoughts on surveillance.

Read more ›
 

Buy the Book

Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security, and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance
by Julia Angwin

$21, at Amazon

Share:
Save: