[.ca] Database Nation: The Death of Privacy in the 21st Century (ISBN 0596001053)

From Amazon.com:
Forget the common cold for a moment. Instead, consider the rise of "false data syndrome," a deceptive method of identification derived from numbers rather than more recognizable human traits. Simson Garfinkel couples this idea with concepts like "data shadow" and "datasphere" in Database Nation, offering a decidedly unappealing scenario of how we have overlooked privacy with the advent of advanced technology. According to Garfinkel, "technology is not privacy neutral." It leaves us with only two choices: 1) allow our personal data to rest in the public domain or 2) become hermits (no credit cards, no midnight video jaunts--you get the point). Garfinkel's thoroughly researched and example-rich text explores the history of identification procedures; the computerization of ID systems; how and where data is collected, tracked, and stored; and the laws that protect privacy. He also explains who owns, manipulates, ensures the safety of, and manages the vast amount of data that makes up our collective human infrastructure. The big surprise here? It's not the United States government who controls or manages the majority of this data but rather faceless corporations who trade your purchasing habits, social security numbers, and other personal information just like any other hot commodity. There's a heck of a lot of data to digest about data here and only a smidgen of humor to counterbalance the weight of Garfinkel's projections. But then again, humor isn't really appropriate in connection with stolen identities; medical, bank, and insurance record exploitation; or the potential for a future that's a "video surveillance free-for-all." In many information-horrific situations, Garfinkel explores the wide variety of data thievery and the future implications of larger, longer-lasting databases. "Citizens," Garfinkel theorizes, "don't know how to fight back even though we know our privacy is at risk." In a case study involving an insurance claim form, he explains how a short paragraph can grant "blanket authorization" to all personal (not just medical) records to an insurance company. Citizens who refuse to sign the consent paragraph typically must forfeit any reimbursement for medical services. Ultimately, "we do not have the choice \oas consumers\c either to negotiate or to strike our own deal." The choice that we do have, however, is to build a world in which sensitive data is respected and kept private--and the book offers clever, "turn-the-tables" solutions, suggesting that citizens, government, and corporations cooperate to develop weaker ID systems and legislate heavier penalties for identification theft. Garfinkel's argument does give one pause, but his paranoia-laden prose and Orwellian imagination tends to obscure the effectiveness of his argument. Strangely, for all his talk about protecting your privacy, he never mentions how to remove your personal information from direct mail and telemarketing groups. And while he would like for Database Nation to be as highly regarded (and timely) as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, the fact remains that we're not going to perish from having our privacy violated. --E. Brooke Gilbert

lacks global perspective, highly misleading:
This book has more to do with American politics than negative implication of advanced technology like it is trying to shoot for. Database is merely a tool, and tools can bring hazardous results when held in wrong hands. SSN is another tool to get a grip on personal information for the government and large businesses, and the author is right in pointing out the abuse of SSN. However, one needs to note that use of such numbering system is considered unconstitutional in many countries, because they rob the rights to remain anonymous away from people. Traditionally, the interest of the nation and large businesses took precedence over the rights and freedom of commoners in the United States, and installment and abuse of SSN is just one of the tools they use in order to tap into what they should not. This book blames the tools and development thereof for such negative consequences, without ever blaming those who hold the tool. It's like blaming chain saw itself for the lost forest, without ever considering who used the chain saw. The book never talks about the global trend of the issue. If it did, it would have been clear that most of the worries expressed in the book does not apply in many countries where the government and businesses aren't as nosy as ours. Freedom, individual rights and technology can co-exist, and there are lots of good examples to learn from on our planet, but the author refuses to do so. Most of the worries expressed in this book have to do with the ways of U.S. policymakers than the technology itself. As for the chapter on terrorism - The author might be a knowledgeable person within the boundary of the United States, but he severely lacks international common sense. It fails to address the cause of terrorism, noting, "The terrorist of tomorrow is the irrational terrorist. (pp.211)" - A typical uninformed American take on terrorism. The author needs to learn a few languages, travel every continent and see how the world works for himself before publishing a book on it. The ignorance alone doesn't bother me, but I'm not happy with the fact that it is published in a book that is supposedly informative, ending up with spreading unnecessary fear without presenting any valid solution. Besides, this chapter on terrorism strays from the purpose of this book (technology and privacy). This is another indication that this book is compiled without sense of direction. All positive reviews quoted on the back cover are of domestic sources: I suppose they couldn't get anyone overseas to recognize the value of the book on this supposedly global issue. I think this book should be discontinued, but in case that's impossible, they could at least change the title to "Nightmare in the 21st century America" from "The Death of privacy in the 21st century" and re-compile the book under some sense of direction, instead of simply listing whatever people would be afraid of. To sum up, this book scores well among those who are uninformed: it is highly engaging because it tickles the fear factor of readers and grabs attention, in a way fictions do. However, the raison d'etre of this book is quite questionable. Like cheap horror movies, it flows without sense of direction, moving from one scare to another. I'm afraid I cannot recommend this book to anyone as an informative source.

Would have been better without the science fiction:
This book dashed the high hopes I had for it. There are many very good reasons to be concerned about the ways technology can be used to curtail our civil liberties and constrict our freedoms. I had hoped for a serious discussion laying out the problems, their current state of application and misuse, and some thoughts about how to push back. We do get some of that and to the extent this book is in this scope I like it a great deal (for example, the discussions around eternal copyrights and huge commercial databases gathering everything known about each of us or the sale of drivers license photos to commercial interests). When it is in the middle area of discussing thought crime and brain wiretapping he begins to lose me. It isn't that the issues aren't worthy of discussion, it is simply they way he discusses them has too much of a paranoid science fiction future feel. When he paints the future of conscious machines and whether they will demand civil rights or not, well, I think he spoils this book. That speculative stuff should be in a different book. For me, the inclusion of this material makes it impossible to take seriously the good stuff he does have. The weird apple spoils the barrel kind of thing. It isn't that the book isn't worth reading. It's that the serious stuff is so important that we need to focus on that and not be distracted by paranoid delusions about things that don't even exist. There is plenty to be concerned about in the databases already collected and being sold in commercial markets.

Who's Watching Me Now?:
Simson Garfinkel's Database Nation is a frightening account of how our privacy is being infringed upon by government, industry and certain individuals. It illustrates how ordinary citizens' private information is obtained by individuals or organizations that want to exploit the data to their advantage. The information can be obtained from driver's licenses, credit card purchases, and medical records, just to name a few. The book is insightful and fast-reading. It will prompt you to take control of your life and wonder, "Who is watching me now?" Garfinkel's intent is not to scare his readers, but to inform unsuspecting citizens that an increasing percentage of our daily activities are being captured by databases across the world. Our personal privacy is threatened with the use of fingerprinting and human marking to document and identify individuals. Whereas this means of identification was created to prevent identity theft, solve crimes, and eliminate computer error, some states are now able to sell this information to private businesses because they are part of the public record. Garfinkel's research on this topic is extensive. Not unlike George Orwell's book 1984, we are also under constant surveillance. The stores we shop at, offices we work in, roads we drive on, and establishments we frequent are capturing our video images and placing them in databanks across the nation. Even surveillance satellites are able to capture minute details of a person. Our personal information is a commodity--it's what marketers use to solicit people. Chapter 11: Privacy Now! provides us with examples and ways in which we can fight back as a nation to protect our right to privacy. However, it does not provide individuals with strategies for protection. Humans have come to rely on computers and data processing at the expense of the individual. The problem is that the smallest clerical error can destroy a person's life. Garfinkel compares his book to Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, which planted the seeds for the environmental movement. Likewise, Database Nation sets the stage for the legislation and regulation of privacy in the twenty-first century. Everyone should read this book!

Unrelenting Pessimism:
In Database Nation, Simson Garfinkel uses Orwellian prose and dark prophecies to dramatize an important but dry subject (how much the government should regulate the use of medical records and consumer purchasing records). Garfinkel portrays our world as a hopeless technical dystopia where insurance companies rip you off, telemarketers bother you at dinnertime, terrorists run free and the average person is powerless to do anything about it. The book's unrelenting pessimism makes it unbalanced and ultimately hurts the author's credibility. For example, instead of giving a nod to the progress being made by pro-privacy agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the state Consumer Protection Boards, Garfinkel dwells on abuses by the FBI and "faceless" corporations. I'd skip this one unless you need another reason to be mad at insurance companies.

Fairly good treatment of an important subject:
As a veteran of the technology industry, Simson Garfinkel brings an insider's understanding of how personal data is collected and managed to his book Database Nation. He seems to be genuinely concerned about where the unregulated use of information technology may be leading us as a society, and has chosen to write his book in an easily accessible style in order to present his views to as wide an audience as possible. Database Nation succeeds overall. The author provides historical context and anecdotes for each topic within the book, helping bring the subject of privacy to life. Indeed, the book contains many interesting, useful and compelling passages. Among these are discussions of identity theft, credit reporting, and direct marketing. Thematically, I tend to agree with the author that a core problem has been the failure of our government to properly regulate the collection and use of consumer data in the private sector. Citing many real-world examples, Garfinkel succeeds in proving that today we have far more to fear from private industry than from government (although significant problems remain with the way our government handles information, and the current war on terrorism could make things matters much worse). In particular, the chapter on "Kooks and Terrorists", written prior to September 11, was remarkably prescient. Garfinkel suggests that we might be best served by tightly controlling and monitoring the instruments of destruction rather than tracking every citizen -- because even if such tracking was possible, Garfinkel points out that no such predictive system could ever be infallible. It would be interesting to learn more about his thoughts on this subject today. However, I was disappointed with the book on several counts. First, despite the repeated use of the word 'privacy', Garfinkel never really develops a theory of privacy: what it is, why we should care about it, and how citizens might be able to simultaneously enjoy the benefits of an information-rich world while living in a society that values and protects its citizens' privacy. Second, I was a bit surprised that the book barely addressed the issue of workplace privacy, which has been a highly contentious and important area for workers for a number of years. Third, while Garfinkel often proposes relatively simple but brilliantly conceived laws to secure our privacy rights, at other times he suggests the implementation of additional layers of technology in order to solve problems having to do with technology; this inconstancy left me puzzled. Fourth, as others have pointed out, there is little information provided about how individuals can take action to protect themselves. Despite these minor flaws, I recommend Database Nation as a fairly good starting point for learning about the important subject of privacy.