- To narrow my search topic I first thought of topics that were relevant to my everyday life and some what interesting to me that would also fall under the topics you asked us to choose from. Then during part A of the Annotated Bibliography assignment I thought of several different research ideas that would fall under the broad category of privacy in the digital age. After brainstorming several different topics I searched the UNCW card catalog system for materials related to each of the research questions I brainstormed. After browsing the card catalog I narrowed my research topic down to the threat of the Internet on peoples personal privacy because I was able to find relevant sources of information related this topic and I also find it interesting.
- Research Question: How has the Internet compromised users privacy?
- To find books related to my research topic I used the UNCW Randall Library website to search the online card catalog. I used the advanced search option with a keyword search within UNCW’s collection of books. I searched for books containing the keywords (Internet) and (privacy) first to find books relevant to my topic. I also did a keyword search of the card catalog system using security and Internet, Internet user* and privacy, and world wide web and privacy as keyword combinations. With each of these searches I reviewed the books that contained the keywords I was looking for and wrote down their call numbers. Using the books call numbers I found the books in the UNCW library.
-Books
- 1)Citation -
Brin, David. The Transparent Society. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison Wesley, 1998.
Author and Audience- The author of this book, David Brin wears many hats. He is a well known global author as well as a reputable researcher, a scientist, a speaker, a futurist, and a technical consultant. David also frequently appears on TV to share his views, ideas, and research, such as the history channel. This book won David the Freedom of Speech Prize from the American Library Association and he has also won multiple Hugo and Nubela awards. I feel that his awards and qualifications make this a reliable source of information. This book is written for the educated general public. While anyone could read this book the reader would have to have some basic knowledge of the technology that Brin is discussing in the text in order to understand it. His writing is easy to understand if the reader has some understanding of the topics discussed.
Summary- With this book David Brin touches on many topics associated with the advancements of technology. He discusses some of the major innovations in the past and how they have impacted society. One of the main topics discussed in this book is the effects of new technologies on privacy. Brin gives several examples of technologies and how they have compromised peoples privacy. He continues on to predict what he feels technology will become in the future and what the effects of it will be. Brin also discusses various ways that the governments around the world have used technological advancements for their benefit at the expense of everyone elses’ privacy. This book focuses on the ramifications technology is having and will have in the future on privacy.
Critical Comment- My initial reaction to this book after skimming through parts of it is that much of it seems very opinion based, even though he has backed it up with factual data and information. It almost seems as though he formed his opinions on the topic and then found relevant facts and figures to back up his opinions. This book does not offer a very neutral view of the issues dealing with technology and privacy. While I feel that Brin makes several good points about the negative effects that technology has has on privacy he fails to mention any of the positive effects of technology on privacy. In many cases discussing the pros and cons of a situation can make a view point much stronger.
-Relevance-This book brings up many relevant arguments on the topic of technology and privacy. Brin brings up many past technologies that compromised privacy even before the Internet that I had not previously though of. This made me question exactly when peoples’ privacy began being compromised. The ideas brought up in this book really made me think about what effects future technologies could possibly have on society. Just to see how things have advanced in the short time that I have been using various technologies is mind boggling and made me wonder what all is to come.
- 2) – Citation -
Goldsmith, Jack, and Tim Wu. Who controls the Internet? New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Author and Audience – Jack Goldsmith is a Harvard Law professor who has written many works discussing law and the Internet. He as several published books as well as many periodical articles. Seeing as he is a law professor at Harvard university I feel that he is a reputable source for information. Ti Wu, the other author, is a professor at Columbia Law school where he teaches subjects related to communications. Currently Wu is continuing his research focusing on the Internet and communications technologies. I also feel that Tim Wu is a reputable author and a good source of information due to his strong educational background. I feel that the intended audience for this text is the general public. The authors did a very good job of introducing the topic with sufficient background information and using language that anyone could understand. The writing is very easy to follow and understand, making it an easy read for almost anyone.
Summary – This book focuses on how the invention of the Internet has created an virtual global community with no boundaries. This book begins with the invention of the Internet in the early 1990’s and how it changed the world. It then goes into the controversies that arose once people started using the Internet as it became a popular tool. The issues arose of who was in charge of the Internet? Should governments have the authority to control the Internet? Should each government control it individually or would it be a collective effort since the Internet is a global tool. This book goes into the legal side of the Internet and its revolution from the 1990’s to now, discussing several legal issues related to privacy.
Critical Comment- After skimming sections of this book my gut feeling is that this is a very reputable well written source of information. I feel that the authors have approached this subject in a very neutral and informative manner. I feel that this book is very factual and contains valid information seeing as there are many situations and references through out the book to back up their information.
Relevance - I found this work to be very informative and to contain a lot of relevant information. It made me think of things that had never crossed my mind before. One of the main topics that made me think was the idea of who actually controls the Internet? This book brings up many interesting topics related to the Internet. I found this source of information to be very relevant to my research since it focuses on legal aspects of the Internet, many of which deal with privacy issues.
