CYRUS FARIVAR discusses his book HABEAS DATA

Habeas Data: Privacy vs. the Rise of Surveillance Tech (Melville House)

From Ars Technica senior business editor Cyrus Farivar, a critical and historic look at how 50 years of American privacy law is inadequate for the near-future of surveillance

Show me the data! Until the 21st century, just about all of our activities were private by default, public through effort; today anything that touches digital space has the potential (and likelihood) to remain somewhere online forever. That means all of the technologies that have made our lives easier, faster, better, more efficient have also simultaneously made it easier to keep an eye on our activities. In 10 crucial legal cases, Habeas Data explores the tools of surveillance that exist today, how they work, and what the implications are for the future of privacy.

Cyrus [suh-ROOS] Farivar is a Senior Tech Policy Reporter at Ars Technica, and is also an author and radio producer. His second book, Habeas Data, about the legal cases over the last 50 years that have had an outsized impact on surveillance and privacy law in America, is due out May 8, 2018 from Melville House. In 2017, Cyrus Farivar and Joe Mullin won the Technology Reporting award from the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California Chapter for their August 2016 story: “Stealing bitcoins with badges: How Silk Road’s dirty cops got caught.” Cyrus’ first book, The Internet of Elsewhere—about the history and effects of the Internet on different countries around the world, including Senegal, Iran, Estonia and South Korea—was published in April 2011. From 2010 until 2012, Cyrus was the Sci-Tech Editor and host of “Spectrum” at Deutsche Welle English, Germany’s international broadcaster. He has also reported for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, The Economist, Wired, The New York Times and many others. He’s also survived three VfDs on Wikipedia. However, on a 4th VfD attempt in February 2007, he was, in fact, deleted. He was added back briefly in 2015, then deleted again. His PGP key and other secure channels are available here. He is based in Oakland, California.