Customer Reviews

The End of Privacy: The Attack on Personal Rights at Home, at Work, On-Line, and in Court

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I discovered Sykes when I read "Nation of Victims" several years ago. Interestingly, another book by a different author with the same name "The End of Privacy" was released about the same time as Sykes' "End of Privacy" by Reg Whitaker.

Sykes is more in line with my own concerns regarding privacy as well as the even more compelling issue which is the threat to freedom posed by intrusive tracking technologies.

The ultimate horror will occur when this technology, matures and riding on a universal netted infrastructure eventually replaces paper currencies, which are still nominally anonymous, with a digital system which is not.

That will bring the real end of privacy and freedom. Because it will eliminate most criminal activity for profit and a host of other problems as well it will almost certainly be accepted by the majority of Americans as progress.

The very best portrayal-in fact the only portrayal of this kind of system is in "Transfer-the end of the beginning" by Jerry Furland. I recommend all Sykes fans, especially those interested in near future outcomes and consequences, to get a copy of "Transfer".

At some point in each of our lives, we think that others have too much information about us. We've heard about movies like "Enemy of the State" and "The Net" and we've watched "60 Minutes" report on surviellence networks like "Echelon." We also know that cellular phones are not always the safest medium to impart confidential information. For those of you who are concerned about privacy issues, this book is for you.

Sykes does a good job examining all of the potential ways that people go about "exposing" themselves to the outside world. His message is that technology has a dark underbelly, and when used by the "wrong people" (perhaps government or big business) it can have a mjor impact on one's life.

If words like "encryption," "data-mining," or "big brother" (not the cbs show) are a regular part of your weekly vocabulary - then you'll probably want a copy of this book. It is also recommended reading for private investigators and some lawyers - or those having to deal with them. I was disappointed that there wasn't more info on some survellience systems and also the debate about the way the government sifts through mail servers really got heated just after the book came out.

For what it's worth, I liked this book better than the other with the same title. I'm giving it three stars, although I'd give it three and a half - if halves were allowed! At times it can be a little dry, especially after such a good beginning story hooks the reader in. Stick it out and you'll have a greater awareness of how technology can be used.

This book presents a very alarmist view about the implications of technology for privacy. I found it to be one sided, for example, bad things that technology might develop are presented but good things that counter them are not presented. It will appeal to those who are looking for pessimism about technology but those who are looking for the pros and cons of technology developments will be disappointed.