Jeremy Adamson

After the absolute delight of hearing Carissa Véliz speak at the Atlantic Tech Summit in Halifax, I had to purchase her book, Privacy is Power.

After smashing through it in a week I can unreservedly recommend it for people with an interest in the topic. It is a great non-technical introduction into the data economy and the state of user privacy. Enjoyed in particular the first half where she  explores why privacy is even worth protecting. Most people would happily trade personal information for convenience, and she draws on dozens of examples to build a case for how short sighted that is.

I’ve always believed that technology is only good when it’s used to elevate human dignity, and I think we’re aligned there. But, as a practitioner, my only wish is that some of the assumptions were explored. Edge cases, many hypothetical, are used as justification in calling for government regulations without looking at the impact. Sometimes the corollary isn’t pretty, but warrants discussion. Don’t people deserve to pay the most accurate risk-adjusted premium for insurance? Otherwise, why even ask a person’s age for life insurance.

There’s also an underlying romanticization of some semi-agrarian past, without exploring what brought us to this point. Altavista and Excite didn’t steal our data, but they lost for a reason.

I don’t know that there’s any answers, or if the toothpaste can be put back in the tube, but her book definitely inspired me to re-check my privacy settings.