Industry Unbound - Kirjakasa

English language

Published Feb. 28, 2021 by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.

ISBN:: 978-1-108-59138-6

(1 review)

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.

3 editions

Anders reviewed Industry Unbound by Ari Ezra Waldman

Very impressive investigation

5 stars

This book presents an impressive investigation and analysis of the world of compliance focusing on privacy. While the book is about privacy you can extrapolate the problems it presents to other areas like diversity, security and equality. The appendix presents the multifaceted methodology and the challenges investigation this field has. The book has extensive notes that provides additional reading for those interested.

As for the results with the quite depressing conclusion the book paints a picture where people are hired as compliance agents to do a job that the company does not appreciate and interacts with people who would rather be left alone. For corporations presenting the image of caring about privacy seems to be sufficient. It also explains why the world of privacy in corporations is as bad as it seems with extractive practices running wild.

The book is somewhat similar to books like Sidney Dekkers Compliance capitalism and …

This book presents an impressive investigation and analysis of the world of compliance focusing on privacy. While the book is about privacy you can extrapolate the problems it presents to other areas like diversity, security and equality. The appendix presents the multifaceted methodology and the challenges investigation this field has. The book has extensive notes that provides additional reading for those interested.

As for the results with the quite depressing conclusion the book paints a picture where people are hired as compliance agents to do a job that the company does not appreciate and interacts with people who would rather be left alone. For corporations presenting the image of caring about privacy seems to be sufficient. It also explains why the world of privacy in corporations is as bad as it seems with extractive practices running wild.

The book is somewhat similar to books like Sidney Dekkers Compliance capitalism and Mats Alvessons Stupidity paradox, but goes even further and presents a set of solutions (in a very short chapter) that society could adopt to make the compliance work effective.

The book should be on the reading list of every decision maker and higher manager as well as for those setting policies or educating people and especially educating future leaders.