With the rise of big data and surveillance capitalism, our privacy is increasingly under threat. But discussions of how to protect privacy are often derailed by disagreements over what exactly it is.
In this book, Kieron O'Hara sets out to demystify privacy. He reveals that much of the conflict around it results from taking different perspectives that veil key assumptions and disguise points of agreement. Focusing on the seven most important perspectives, he offers a framework for negotiating this important but complex topic.
Expertly blending insights from philosophy, sociology, law and computing, and presenting plenty of real-world examples, O'Hara's The seven veils of privacy is both an ideal introduction to the field and a challenging critique of it.
Kieron O'Hara is an Emeritus Fellow in Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton.