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Reviews...
"Should
your boss know about those visits to the shrink?"
Garfinkel also has an annoying habit of creating
shocking anecdotes of privacy abuse out of whole cloth, not telling the reader
until afterward these horror stories only represent possible portraits of the
future. He opens one chapter with an account of his e-mail correspondence with
a person who turns out to be a program sucking data about his shopping habits
and movie preferences -- then reveals that the scenario is make-believe....
Overall, though, "Database Nation" is well worth the read. In the
face of escalating corporate incursions onto our fundamental liberties,
popular opposition is in alarmingly short supply; those determined to
galvanize public indignation are performing a valuable service, and deserve to
be heard. --- Thomas Scoville in Salon.
"This
is a very subversive book."
It's early, but so
far the most important book of the year in this space is Simson
Garfinkel's Database Nation. This is a very subversive book. It took
courage for O'Reilly & Associates to
publish it. It summarizes all the technologies that are taking away our
privacy, and suggests how you can get involved in taking it back. --- Dana
Blankenhorn, Andover.NET
"Database
Nation
will provide not only valuable history and insight, but a rousing call to arms."
"Garfinkel
has the historical vision and storytelling chops, both sorely lacking among
today's tech and business press, to stitch together an exhaustive range of
topics – medical records, biological warfare, United Parcel Service's
package tracking system, even satellite pictures of Earth – into a panoply
of privacy concerns. The Internet is just the tip of a very frightening
iceberg." --- Alex Lash, TheStandard.COM
"What
I enjoyed most about "Database Nation" was Garfinkel's ability to
write about privacy issues without ranting or raving." --- Tom Regan, The
Christian Science Monitor
"The picture he paints is
clear, sharp, and focused - a wake-up call rather than a fire alarm. And
unlike many authors who only point to problems, Garfinkel offers sound advice
about alternatives to many privacy-damaging practices."
"Compulsively
Readable," --- Boston Magazine.
"Orwell was right: It's not enough to obey. We
must learn to love BigBrother.com-or else."
"A
compelling read - the Silent Spring of 'Shadow Watching'" --- Alistair
B. Kelman, Barrister and Visiting Fellow at the London School of
Economics Computer Security Research Centre.
"Simson Garfinkel's book is a work of great
importance which should be read by anyone concerned about Freedom in the
Internet Age. It is a fine exposition and analysis of where we are today and
where we are going in the Database Nation."
"Database
Nation continues the
growing tradition of O'Reilly books that cast technology in its social context."
--- Curtis D. Frye, Editor of Technology
& Society Book Reviews
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