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Why
We live in an era of unprecedented data aggregation, and the trade-offs between individual privacy, personal convenience, and national security and cybersecurity have never been more challenging to negotiate. Technology is evolving quickly, while laws and policies are changing slowly.
HOW
No matter where we live or what demographic groups we fall into, someone is collecting our data: to profile us, target us, assess us; to predict our behavior and analyze our attitudes; to influence the things we do and buy—even to impact our vote. Though government surveillance is one facet of the challenge, data collected by national security programs pale in comparison to the exquisitely detailed user profiles that are being amassed by major brands.
WHAT
In Cyber Privacy, I explore the most common types of data being collected about individuals today and delve into how it is being used—sometimes against us—by the private sector, the government, and even our employers and schools. Further, I reveal the trends in technology, data science, and law that directly impact our privacy, based on the digital footprints we leave in our daily lives. It’s high time to rethink notions of privacy and what, if anything, limits the power of those who are constantly watching, listening, and learning about us. Cyber Privacy offers realistic solutions to restore individuals’ control over information about us that is created, collected, combined, and manipulated every day.
About April
April Falcon Doss spent over a decade at the National Security Agency, where she was Associate General Counsel for Intelligence Law. She later served as Senior Minority Counsel for the Russia Investigation in the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Prior to her federal service, April worked as a public defender, civil litigator, and in-house counsel to a private college. Today, she practices privacy and cybersecurity law, and teaches at the University of Maryland law school.
April is a frequent commentator on issues relating to cybersecurity, privacy, and national security. She’s the author of the book CyberPrivacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care (2020). She has appeared on CNN, CBC, NPR, and MSNBC. She's been quoted in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Wired, Axios, Politico, as well as industry-focused publications such as Law360 and CIO Magazine, and scholarly publications such as the Journal of Business and Technology Law. Her articles have appeared in The Atlantic, The Weekly Standard, Bustle, Lawfare, and elsewhere. She’s on Twitter @AprilFDoss.