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Could your name appear on a list of people with unacceptable opinions without your knowledge? Could that list be used to exclude you in job searches, deny you a home loan or a credit card, or even deny you access to apps? Who are the executives, politicians, and bureaucrats actively working to make this happen? Thanks to advancements in technology, the weapons of control have evolved. In this eye-opening book, Jason Chaffetz exposes the chilling reality of the growing surveillance state, showing how our data is being used to manipulate, censor, and undermine our freedoms.

The electronic age compels us to confront the delicate balance between the convenience of constant connectivity and the protection of personal privacy, security, and democracy itself. Presented as a two-fold concern of digital and civic literacy, surveillance and privacy expert Heidi Boghosian argues that our fight to uphold democracy must extend to the online world. As “smart” citizens, our best chance of thriving in the digital era lies in taking care of our “smart” selves as diligently as we maintain our smart devices.

Living today means most of us must contend with things like workplace surveillance, cyberstalking, ransomware attacks, and facial recognition. But all is not lost when it comes to our privacy, and it is definitely not too late to do something about protecting yours. Written in blunt jargon-free prose, On Privacy defines today’s privacy landscape while also reminding listeners of the joys of keeping things to ourselves—that privacy creates space for intimacy, is essential to mental health, and is a fundamental right in a free society.