Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Review: Computer Privacy Annoyances
Iain Laskey gets friendly with the Spooks.
| Product | Computer Privacy Annoyances |
|---|---|
| Company | O'Reilly |
| Web | www.oreilly.com |
| Price | From £12.95 |
| We like | Boosts your awareness of a wide range of issues, cheap |
| We don't like | Too tightly bound to US law and agencies |
| Rating | 7/10 |
| Requirements |
The book is broken in to seven main areas from privacy at work through the Internet to privacy in your day to day life. Each section has a number of problems or annoyances as they are referred to and features a short discussion on the issue at stake, the background and how best to counter it. The book also features copious tips and side notes.
The range of topics is excellent and serves as a wake up call to just how much of our private lives are no longer private. Many sections include good advice on software tools or ways of behaving that can minimise the level to which you expose your activities and personal details.
The book does have one big disadvantage for non US readers though and that is that huge chunks deal very specifically with US organisations, legislation and solutions. As such, around 40% of the book's answers are useless to UK readers. They'll be no solutions here for us Brits. Whilst a country by country rewrite is clearly not realistic, a little localisation would have gone a long way. On the other hand, if you are American then you'll find this book a superb resource full of real need-to-know stuff.
On the plus side, the sections on securing your PC are useful for all. Here you can find out how to protect wireless networks, check for a compromised system and how to ensure things such as your hosts file (used to map web site names to numeric IP addresses) are secured. The book lists a great many utilities, web sites and techniques that can stop your PC being hijacked, hacked or snooped around by other people.
The one thing that any reader will be able to pick up from Computer Privacy Annoyances is just how much information about ourselves we hand out without a second thought. How many times have you filled out a guarantee form that asks you your favourite newspaper, types of credit card and so on? How about that pre-paid toll card for your car that saves you fumbling for change on the way to work each day? That gets recorded and shows where you have been and when. In the US these records have even been used in divorce cases.
Overall, this is an interesting read but bear in mind that unless you live in the US, large chunks of the solutions won't be of use but at least you'll be aware of the problems! It will certainly make you more aware of how you go about your daily business and the risks you may be exposing yourself to. Paranoid? Maybe.
