I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy

This book is a must read for anyone who cares about protecting themselves from Facebook, data aggregators and the dangers they pose to us. Facebook is making not millions…but BILLIONS on the false notion that they've invented something that "makes the world more transparent." Folks, it's not transparency.  Let's tell it like it is please. It's stealing your right to privacy.  They are are putting you at risk and laughing loudly on their way to the bank. People are manipulated into believing that Facebook and social networks in general are so much more beneficial to consumers than they are harmful.  The risks are real and they are extremely disturbing. Not only does this book expose the horrific truth about the theft of private information and data aggregator companies, but it provides proof beyond a reasonable doubt that we're in a lot of trouble. To share something personal: I was protected by what is regarded as the most advanced identity protection you can purchase on the consumer market, but I still became a victim of identity theft. It all began with a piece of information that the person was able to obtain through Facebook.  Contrary to what Facebook or anyone tells you, identity theft rose as social networking became more popular.  Identity theft is statistically the fastest growing crime in America. It is arguably the biggest problem in existence that hardly anyone cares about until it happens to them.  Take it from me.  It is absolute hell when you become a victim.  The author, Lori Andrews, provides such clear concrete examples of how unsafe our data is.  Companies will say in their disclosures that they make safeguarding your information their top priority.  That's great, but the fundamental problem is that we are being tracked!!  Data aggregation is not only gross invasion of privacy, but it greatly increases the likelihood of identity theft.  Read this book and you'll understand why. Any level of encryption or "safeguarding" is a moot point because there are many other ways a system can break.Interesting point on social networking: The latest news is that some folks have the audacity to label us as "suspicious," suggesting that there is something wrong with us psychologically if we don't have a Facebook account. We hang out with family and friends in our back yards instead of on Facebook.  God forbid we happened to find it more fun. Then, there are the facts of how people's behaviors have changed in the last ten years:  the school shootings, the defiance against law enforcement officers simply doing their job, the studies proving that people feel more lonely, depressed, or isolated because of the superficial nature of online profiles and those that overshadow life off-line. People are much more likely to act out in aggression, the fact that terrorists have used Facebook to communicate and coordinate plans and the list goes on. This book covers these things so well and it's only the beginning.  More people should read it for sure.

The author dredges up a terrible account of suffering and apparent unfairness that Americans have borne from online life such as web searches, online purchases, "private" posts to Facebook accounts, You Tube videos, and a lot more. Trouble has come in the form of job firings and thwarted job searches, insurance pricing and eligibility, disability and personal injury claims, creditworthiness, court contests over divorce and child custody, and the list goes on. Further, the online backfires can occur many years later, sometimes with the use of digital web archives.All of this sounds threatening to privacy, to put it mildly. Lori Andrews the author, a law professor, has done a real service by amassing the tales of woe. The book is worth its price and time spent reading for this alone.What's lacking in the book are business rationales, law enforcement rationales, and national security rationales. Perhaps Andrews weighed those perspectives and discounted them so much that they're given little play in her book.Also, it would be nice to get advice for the consumer of online experience -- how to weigh and balance privacy concerns and opportunities for convenience, satisfaction, and even professional productivity in our use of the internet? The book leaves the reader to cobble that together.What the author does put forth is a proposed constitutional amendment to ensure privacy in a digital age. Sounds nice and fair, and idealistic. Good luck with that.It might have been helpful to see one chapter about what struggles people actually have engaged in to advocate for privacy using the courts, Congress, and so on. I don't know who's done what there. Perhaps somebody will write that chapter or entire book someday, or if it's been written, we'll hear of it.

This is a must read if you have any interest in privacy. The gist of the author's work is that you have almost none on the internet. If you think that deleting information fixes your concerns, you are wrong!Do you use a popular free email service? Guess what, you might as well be standing on the street corner with a megaphone.This book frightened me and angered me. I was frightened by the unregulated "Wild West" business practices by internet prowlers and angered by my own ignorance up to this point. As the author points out, if you are not in the internet/web business, what goes on behind the scenes is much worse than you know. The biggest sites are the biggest offenders, starting with Facebook (privacy settings are meaningless).You should read (reread) this book everytime you plan to subscibe to ANY website!The reason for four stars intead of five is due to the author's lobbying for some sort of internet constitution. My copy of the book is on loan to a friend, so I can't quote the precise nomenclature; but I would have preferred fewer pages on this idea. Just a small nit to pick, the book is still a good read for ANY internet user.

Very good

A wonderful wake up call illuminating the dangers of the online world.