An Economist BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR As the data economy grows in power Carissa Véliz exposes
how our privacy is eroded by big tech and governments why that matters and what we can do
about it. The moment you check your phone in the morning you are giving away your data. Before
you've even switched off your alarm a whole host of organisations have been alerted to when
you woke up where you slept and with whom. As you check the weather scroll through your
'suggested friends' on Facebook you continually compromise your privacy. Without your
permission or even your awareness tech companies are harvesting your information your
location your likes your habits and sharing it amongst themselves. They're not just selling
your data. They're selling the power to influence you. Even when you've explicitly asked them
not to. And it's not just you. It's all your contacts too. Digital technology is stealing our
personal data and with it our power to make free choices. To reclaim that power and democracy
we must protect our privacy. What can we do? So much is at stake. Our phones our TVs even our
washing machines are spies in our own homes. We need new regulation. We need to pressure
policy-makers for red lines on the data economy. And we need to stop sharing and to adopt
privacy-friendly alternatives to Google Facebook and other online platforms. Short terrifying
practical: Privacy is Power highlights the implications of our laid-back attitude to data and
sets out how we can take back control. If you liked The Age of Surveillance Capitalism you'll
love Privacy is Power because it provides a philosophical perspective on the politics of
privacy and it offers a very practical outlook both for policymakers and ordinary citizens.
