Book Review: I Have Nothing to Hide: And 20 Other Myths About Surveillance and Privacy

Reviewed by paulml

I Have Nothing to Hide: And 20 Other Myths About Surveillance and Privacy by Heidi Boghosian, Beacon Press, 2021, ISBN: 978-0-8070-6126-8

This book attempts to shed some light on the most popular myths about surveillance and privacy.

"Smart homes are more secure."  On the contrary, all those smart devices are gathering information about your daily habits to send to marketers.  Alexa/Siri have their microphones on nearly all the time.  They are recording what goes on in your household.  Who knows where those recordings go?  Smart devices are also very hackable.

"I have nothing to hide, so I have nothing to fear."  Tell that to Breonna Taylor.  Congress and the courts protect us from surveillance.  That might be possible if the average member of Congress had even a clue as to how social media really works.

"The USA doesn't have national ID numbers."  The Social Security number works very well as a national ID number.

"No one wants to spy on kids."  Children have been the target of marketers for many years.  It goes back to the days when Saturday morning cartoons were little more than marketing infomercials, filled with commercials for sugary breakfast cereal.

"Surveillance affects everyone equally."  Attendees of the average jewish synagogue don't usually get their license plate numbers recorded and their pictures taken.  How many churches have had surveillance cameras set up across the street and pointed at the entrance to record the attendees?

"There is nothing I can do to stop surveillance."  The author gives several ways to reduce the surveillance, if not stop it completely.

Everyone cares about their own personal privacy, and this book does an excellent job at exposing privacy myths.  It is very easy to understand, and is very highly recommended.