Net Privacy : How we can be free in an age of surveillance

by Sacha Molitorisz

In our digital world, we are confused by privacy – what is public, what is private? We are also challenged by it, the conditions of privacy so uncertain we become unsure about our rights to it. We may choose to share personal information, but often do so on the assumption that it won't be re-shared, sold, or passed on to other parties without our knowing. In the eighteenth century, philosopher Jeremy Bentham wrote about a new model for a prison called a Panopticon, where inmates surrounded the jailers, always under watch. Have we built ourselves a digital Panopticon? Are we the guards or the prisoners, captive or free? Can we be both? When Kim Kardashian makes the minutiae of her life available online, which is she? With great rigour, this important book draws on a Kantian philosophy of ethics and legal frameworks to examine where we are and to suggest steps – conceptual and practical – to ensure the future is not dystopian. Privacy is one of the defining issues of our time; this lively book explains why this is so, and the ways in which we might protect it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2020

Reviews

[Bennor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important book, but one I struggled to finish. To be fair to the author, I received it as a gift and might not have chosen it for myself.

I loved the earlier, more practical chapters which cover the many privacy issues facing the internet, but the latter two thirds of the book deal mostly with the philosophy, ethics and legal apsects of privacy. There is a clear focus on Kantian ethics and his formula for humanity, and while the concept was both new to me—and very interesting—I found these later chapters very dry and academic. I'm sure that if this was an area of interest it would be fascinating, but it was a little too much for me.

Ultimately, I still feel it is a book worth persevering with if you are interested in the internet or the many privacy issues it is plagued with.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the issue of privacy and the internet. An Australian perspective. The author much prefers the EU approach to privacy legislation to the Australian Privacy Act of 1988. The author's favourite philosopher on the topic of privacy is Kant and it shows. Fortunately the author doesn't totally agree with everything Kant said - she admits he made mistakes sometimes. The author has one other interesting approach to her arguments - she illustrates many of her arguments with parallel situations from popular movies such as The Truman Show or Batman. This really helps readers understand her propositions.

[Tobin South]

A fascinating use of the ethics of Kant to frame the debate over digital privacy. Sacha introduces the idea of a digital panopticon and eloquently justifies the need for sensible legislation to ensure that humans and their privacy are not a means, but an end in themselves.