Privacy is Power: Why and How You Should Take Back Control of Your Data is an urgent and timely book about the issue of privacy since the inception of the internet, how your data is being used by companies and how you can make all of your information safer and more secure online. Of course, collection and storage of our data have always been a problem, even before the internet age, it's only recently in, say, the past decade that we have become increasingly aware of this because of the simply astonishing amount of information being collected through a plethora of different means online. And whereas ”online” used to be limited to a computer dial-up connection only, thanks to modernity all of the devices we now have throughout our homes which can connect to the internet means we have a home full of big brother-style products keeping tabs on us at all times. It's certainly disquieting to read and comprehend but this book provides actionable tips to restore and regain your privacy online and in the technological world.

A particularly apt quote states: 'if you're not paying for the product, you are the product' or in put another way: the product or service is free to you because they are gaining something much more valuable to them than money: data. This data will tell them everything they need to know in order to understand you as a consumer and will help them target you with advertisements you may appreciate in the future. This is exactly how surveillance capitalism works - Surveillance capitalism refers to an economic system centred around the commodification of personal data with the core purpose of profit-making. Since personal data can be commodified it has become one of the most valuable resources on earth.

At under 300 pages, this is a powerful punch to the gut and will give you food for thought, terrify you and open your eyes to the data exploitation going on around you. It's informative, interesting and eminently readable and I found myself fascinated by the ethics behind data collection techniques and exactly what that information is likely to be used for. Carissa Véliz is particularly interested in digital ethics (with an emphasis on privacy and AI ethics). If privacy is an issue you are interested in learning more about then one of the most eye-opening shows you can watch on it is the recent Netflix show ”The Social Dilemma” and I would also highly recommend the book ”The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” by Shoshana Zuboff. Both are invaluable additions to this topic. An accessible and much-needed rumination on one of the defining issues of our age. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bantam Press for an ARC.

What kind of society would you like to live in? Two worlds lie ahead.

The first is more extreme version of the surveillance society we live in today; it is a world in which your every step is recorded, analysed and shared with governments and companies. Surveillance is about what you think and feel, not only what you do. This is a world in which machines manage you and a world in which you worry about your children's privacy.

There is another world, the world in which privacy is respected. We just need the right tech with the right rules in place. Good tech doesn't force-feed you, there is no fine print, no under the table snatching of your data, no excuses and no apologies. Good tech protects your privacy.

Privacy is our right, so refuse the unacceptable and take back control of your personal data.

A must read in these challenging times!

Privacy is Power :Why and How You Should Take Back Control of Your Data is a short but a very necessary and relevant read, that needs to be read. Yes what happens to your data online is unnerving but this helps you understand how you can be more selective of what you put out there.