Database Nation: The Death of Privacy in the 21st Century

A frequent writer on computer themes and a weekly columnist for the Boston Globe , Garfinkel describes the death of due process, biometrics, the misuse of medical information, the systematic capture of everyday events, the commodification of personal information, the bugging of the outside world, runaway marketing, genetic autonomy, and the individual as terrorist. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

If you have a computer with Intel's "processor serial number," own a pet with an embedded "radio frequency identification device," use ATMs and credit cards, and shop on the Internet, privacy is almost a nonexistent concept, because your every move is being tracked and stored somewhere for future use. Garfinkel, who has reported on computer privacy issues for Wired and other publications, is an exceptional writer who clearly understands his topic; here he explores today's threats to privacy and how they might be stopped. This is for all libraries.
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