Big Brother is certainly watching you, as George Orwell predicted in his book 1984. If you're like most folks I know, you've been lulled into antipathy with silencing arguments like "if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear"[1], or push it from your mind to avoid your feelings of powerlessness. Truth be told, you're not completely powerless, but building your privacy is a difficult feat.
In Kevin Mitnick's book, The Art of Invisibility, he teaches you the effort it takes to grow your anonymity in today's world of digital surveillance. He starts with the basics - finding a portal to the digital world that isn't connected to you. Then he teaches you how to use that portal to gain a foothold of an anonymous identity on the Internet. He teaches you how recognize what would jeopardize linking that anonymous identity to your true identity. His primary audience are those who are interested in personal privacy for it's own sake. Although some of his suggestions may help those with more nefarious intentions, they're unlikely to guarantee permanent avoidance of capture.
As the first edition of this book was first published in February 2017, some of the information in this book is obsolete. For example, the Kevin recommends a series of browser extensions that are aimed toward Internet privacy. The digital industry constantly shifts its sands, as company merges with company and competitors produce better products. Be sure to research for the recommended products that, before fully trusting they will perform as advertised.
As the first edition of this book was first published in February 2017, some of the information in this book is obsolete. For example, the Kevin recommends a series of browser extensions that are aimed toward Internet privacy. The digital industry constantly shifts its sands, as company merges with company and competitors produce better products. Be sure to research for the recommended products that, before fully trusting they will perform as advertised.
The Art of Invisibility reads easily, at less than 300 pages. More importantly, Kevin's diverse knowledge and experience in digital security peppers the pages with interesting anecdotes and historical facts. He brings a sense of humanity to privacy concerns. He also peels back the mythical shroud that keeps us afraid of our surveillance state and gives us a good dose of reality as to why it's important to us all to maintain control over what should remain private. We all have secrets from someone that could cause unnecessary harm were they revealed. Assuming benevolence from our secret keepers is naive and unsafe. Take back some of the control over what institutions and individuals know about you and read The Art of Invisibility.
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