Press Release
August 5, 2005
Computer Privacy Annoyances: How to Avoid the Most Annoying Invasions of Your Personal and Online Privacy
No one needs to tell you that personal privacy is an
increasingly rare commodity. Identity theft has become the fastest growing
crime on the Internet. Spammers fill our inboxes while scammers threaten
to drain our bank accounts. Left unprotected, a home PC can be turned into
a hacker's plaything in less time than it takes to reboot. And that
doesn't begin to include threats to our privacy from agencies with hidden
agendas, eavesdropping employers, and an increasingly intrusive federal
government.
But it doesn't have to be that way, Computer Privacy Annoyances
(O'Reilly, US $19.95), provides advice with attitude on what
consumers can do to protect the privacy they've got left, and to take back
what they've lost. Served up with liberal doses of wit and backed by
rock-solid research, Computer Privacy Annoyances offers step-by-step
instructions for combating the worst privacy and security threats.
"History shows time and again that data collected for a helpful purpose
invariably ends up being used for another, less benign one," says author
Dan Tynan. "But it also shows that when citizens raise hell and actively
fight back, intruders will back down often enough to make it a battle
worth waging."
"Nobody knows more about privacy in the Internet age than Dan Tynan. This
book explains exactly why the dangers are so real--and provides
step-by-step instructions for defending yourself, your information, and
your money, " says Harry McCracken, Editor in Chief of PC World.
Computer Privacy Annoyances provides a wealth of information for
protecting privacy, complete with a few lessons in hell-raising. The book
is organized around the five areas where privacy is most at risk:
Privacy at Home--Reveals how vulnerable your personal data is on your
home computer, and tells you how to protect your information
Privacy on the Net--The inside skinny on erasing your browser footprints,
rooting out spyware, winning the war on spam, shopping securely online and
keeping your kids safe on the Net
Privacy at Work--How to figure out if your boss is spying on you, handle
background checks, keep an eye on your personnel records, deal with
surveillance cameras and desk searches, and avoid other privacy intrusions
in the workplace
Privacy in Public--Unveils what happens to your personal information when
you shop, use public libraries, enroll in school, travel by air or car,
visit the doctor, go to the bank, or even eat out in restaurants
Privacy and Uncle Sam--Exposes what kind of personal information local,
state and federal agencies collect, who they share that information with,
and what you can do to seal records, access your files, detect wiretaps
and cope with the IRS and other scary bureaucracies
It's definitely a brave new world. Computer Privacy Annoyances is for
anyone not quite ready to surrender their personal information in the name
of convenience, technology, or homeland security. The book contains "all
the tools you need to take back your privacy rights, delivered with snappy
wit, " according to Dan Miller, executive editor of MacWorld. "Who knew
fighting the Man could be so much fun?"
To learn more about the Annoyances book series, visit
AnnoyancesCentral.com where you can check out our "Experts' Blogs"
for advice on how to fix those pesky computer annoyances.
Additional Resources:
Computer Privacy Annoyances
Dan Tynan
ISBN: 0-596-00775-2, 178 pages, $19.95 US, $27.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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