In the early decades of the Internet, most users were a little naive and those developing it a little altruistic. The public quickly embraced new online tools such as Google and Facebook, and although there were the occasional naysayers waving copies of 1984 [1], most gave little thought to the potential downsides of these new tools. Starting in the 1980s, governments and business began to realize the potential intelligence that could be gleaned from the Internet for both national security and profit--at the expense, of course, of privacy. Lee looks into the era of total information awareness in which we now find ourselves, and discusses in detail the implications for our society and our individual privacy.

The book is divided into six parts. Part 1, a single chapter, introduces the historical background and political environment of the 1980s that saw the rise in the collection of personal information from the Internet, primarily for government security intelligence purposes.

Part 2 looks at personal privacy in the era of big data. Chapter 2 discusses privacy in applications such as Facebook and YouTube, the social issues associated with the use of these tools, and the information that government and business can collect about individuals from their online activities. Chapter 3 considers privacy issues associated with smartphones and mobile apps, including the geographical tracking of phone users. Chapter 4 reviews several significant historical privacy breaches and some of the software faults that allowed them to occur.

Part 3 focuses on the use of social media for data mining and business intelligence. Chapter 5 discusses data mining and advertising by business and the focus on mobile users, and chapter 6 reveals the marketing analysis and advertising that occurs on Facebook in particular. As a seasoned information technology (IT) practitioner, I thought I was aware of Internet privacy issues; this chapter is an eye opener that reveals just how blissfully naive many of us have been. Chapter 7 considers the consumer’s right to privacy and the various pieces of legislation in this area, both within the US and the European Union (EU).

Part 4 covers the rise of the “Facebook nation” in more detail. Chapter 8 discusses the impact of the speed and reach of Twitter communications on journalism and advertising, while chapter 9 considers the consequences should the content of these communications not be correct--either intentionally or unintentionally. The 1938 CBS radio broadcast of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds is given as a classic example of the potential of this. The steps being taken to try to verify the identity of users on Facebook and Twitter are also briefly covered. Chapter 10 looks at Wikipedia and its history. In particular, the quality and accuracy of Wikipedia as a news source are discussed. Chapter 11 discusses e-government and e-activism. There is an interesting comparison of the use of the Internet in the successful 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama with the use of television in the successful 1960 campaign of John F. Kennedy. The use of Facebook and Twitter for domestic and transnational politics and lobbying, as well as government censorship of online activities, is also covered.

The four chapters of Part 5 discuss the new era of total information awareness. Chapter 12 brings readers up to date with the enormous volume and diversity of data now being exchanged on the Internet. Chapter 13 considers the use of Facebook in more detail. In particular, several incidents are discussed that illustrate the consequences for individuals who failed to appreciate the lack of privacy associated with their social media digital footprint. Chapter 14 provides insight into just how much information about individuals can be found on the Internet (at least in the West), and available to anyone willing to pay. A timeline of examples of privacy breaches is given, as well as warnings on the choice of online passwords and the privacy settings for Facebook, Google, and smartphones. Chapter 15 covers additional issues such as cyberbullying, child safety, public surveillance, and the public scrutiny of police operations by citizens.

In Part 6, the final chapter, Lee delivers his summary and conclusions regarding citizen privacy in this digital age. He gives an interesting comparison of possible futures as predicted by Orwell [1] and Huxley [2], as well as a little “crystal ball gazing” of his own. There are two appendices, one providing a useful detailed chronology of the growth of Facebook and the other a less useful history of the company’s stock price. The index is thorough, as is the table of contents. This is a very well-researched book and to say that each chapter ends with an extensive list of references is an understatement. The book is very current and easy to read. Parents in particular would be well advised to make this book compulsory reading for their teenage children before allowing them to go online.

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