Neil Richards
Koch Distinguished Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Neil Richards
“Clearly written, insightful, polemical, sophisticated, and based upon extensive fieldwork, Industry Unbound is an instant classic. It is a rare combination of a sophisticated academic study, a penetrating sociological critique, and an accessible explanation of what’s actually happening inside the information industry for the general reader. Few books have changed our understanding of privacy like this one; it is a must-read for anyone who studies, works in the field of, or worries about privacy and the power that human information confers.” (from Amazon)
In Industry Unbound, Ari Ezra Waldman exposes precisely how the tech industry conducts its ongoing crusade to undermine our privacy. With research based on interviews with scores of tech employees and internal documents outlining corporate strategies, Waldman reveals that companies don't just lobby against privacy law; they also manipulate how we think about privacy, how their employees approach their work, and how they weaken the law to make data-extractive products the norm. In contrast to those who claim that privacy law is getting stronger, Waldman shows why recent shifts in privacy law are precisely the kinds of changes that corporations want and how even those who think of themselves as privacy advocates often unwittingly facilitate corporate malfeasance. This powerful account should be read by anyone who wants to understand why privacy laws are not working and how corporations trap us into giving up our personal information.