Data and Goliath Book Summary - Data and Goliath Book explained in key points

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Data and Goliath summary

Name: Data and Goliath
Author: Bruce Schneier

Bruce Schneier

The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World

Brief summary

Data and Goliath by Bruce Schneier explains how corporations and governments collect and use our personal information, and offers tools to protect our privacy in the digital age.

Topics

Big Data Manipulation

Table of Contents

Data and Goliath
Summary of 6 key ideas

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What’s in it for me? Learn why people are after your online data, and what you can do about it.

In May 2013, when Edward Snowden spilled the deepest, darkest secrets of US intelligence agencies, the issue of mass surveillance was immediately brought to the fore. As it turned out, the NSA had been spying on us all, collecting and sifting through our online data for years.

Many were shocked, but many others remained unconcerned, and a common refrain quickly emerged: “I haven’t committed a crime, so why would I mind the government snooping on my data?” And yet, whether law-abiding citizens or not, we should all be worried about mass surveillance.

These blinks show you how mass surveillance is undermining many of the things we hold dear, from the freedom of the internet, to our privacy and economic prosperity. But even so, as you will find out, there is still a lot we can do about it.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why the internet knows more about those closest to you than you do;
why one man’s plan to party extra hard led to him being kicked out of the United States; and
how searching for weird things on Google can help you avoid surveillance.

Surveillance is more widespread today than at any other point in history.

In the 1700s, British philosopher Jeremy Bentham developed a novel and important concept: the panopticon, a hypothetical prison where every inmate could be watched at all times. Bentham was interested in the effect that constant surveillance would have on the prisoners' behavior.

Until recently, Bentham's idea was just that – an idea. Even in a prison, it simply wasn't possible to keep watch over everyone, all the time. But today, digital technology has changed this for good.

Facial recognition software, for example, allows authorities to use video cameras to digitally identify people. The FBI already has a database of 52 million faces, and they can use it to track persons of interest.

Meanwhile, authorities in Dubai are using facial recognition software from Google Glass to identify people on the street. And video cameras aren't the only tools of surveillance, either: authorities can also track our actions online.

A total of 76 exabytes (76 billion billion bytes) of information pass through the internet every year, and the development of cloud technology has made it easier and cheaper to store all this data.

Every bit of data you generate online can be collected or tracked by someone else. A law student named Max Schrems realized the gravity of this situation in 2011, when he demanded that Facebook disclose all the data they had on him.

Facebook sent Schrems a 1,200-page document – and it wasn't only information from his profile and newsfeed. Facebook also had a record of every page and photo he'd ever clicked on, and every advertisement he'd ever seen.

Jeremy Bentham's panopticon is already all around us. We're monitored at all times and all of our actions are recorded and stored indefinitely. Welcome to the global surveillance state.

The internet isn't free: you pay for it with your privacy.

How much do you pay to access the sites you view on your internet browser? Well, you don't pay anything, because online content is “free,” right?

Wrong. Online companies don’t give you their products or services for free, they've just found ways to get your money other than by charging you directly when you use their site.

Mass surveillance is harmful to our liberty, intellectual freedom and even our health.

You might think that mass surveillance is mostly harmless, even if it's a bit uncomfortable. It could even be useful, especially if companies use it to sell you things you need. As long as your data isn't misused, you'll be fine, right?

Wrong again. Mass surveillance and the loss of our privacy damages both our individual lives and society as a whole.

Mass surveillance damages the economy – but it also creates a market for companies offering ways to avoid it.

Mass surveillance isn't only harmful to our bodies and the society we live in – it hurts our economic well-being too.

It likely doesn't come as a surprise that companies don't respond well to mandatory surveillance policies. If the American government starts passing laws that threaten their business success, companies will simply choose to move their data away from American jurisdiction.

There are four ways a company can respond to the threat of government surveillance.

Imagine you're a private business owner. One day, men in suits come to your door, flash their badges and demand you hand over your data. What do you do?

Businesses can respond to this scenario in one of four ways.

Individuals can try to subvert surveillance by avoiding, blocking and distorting it.

We've examined some of the ways that organizations can respond to government surveillance, but there are important steps that individuals can take as well.

The easiest way to evade surveillance is to change your behavior. Start paying in cash rather than using a traceable credit card, and change your daily commutes to avoid any cameras.

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What is Data and Goliath about?

Data and Goliath (2015) takes an in-depth look at one of the most pressing issues of our time: mass surveillance. It traces the origins of surveillance, explains its various negative impacts and offers advice for organizations and individuals looking to evade it.

Data and Goliath Review

Data and Goliath (2015) sheds light on the pervasive surveillance culture we live in and why it matters. Here's why this book is worth reading:

With eye-opening revelations about the scope and scale of data collection, it provides a deep understanding of the privacy implications in the digital age.
The book offers insightful analysis on the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of the increasing amount of data being collected and analyzed.
Through compelling arguments and real-life examples, it challenges our assumptions about the balance between security and privacy, making the topic undeniably fascinating.

Who should read Data and Goliath?

Anyone hoping to understand more about the politics of data collection
Anyone wary of the dangers of surveillance

About the Author

Bruce Schneier is a world-renowned security expert and the best-selling author of over 13 books. He's also a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School and the Chief Technology Officer of Resilient Systems, Inc.

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