Net Spies: Who's Watching You on the Web?

Do you have a private life? If you think you do, you may have to think again. The World Wide Web poses a threat to the personal privacy and rights of all of us-whether or not we use a computer. Even our most intimate moments are vulnerable-hidden "webcams" broadcast from public toilets and changing rooms to Internet pay sites, catering to the dubious needs of "cyber-voyeurs." Net Spies: Who's Watching You on the Web? focuses on how personal information can find its way onto the networks, often without the knowledge or consent of the individuals involved. Gauntlett shows how the Internet is a double-edged sword, offering untold benefits yet also posing dangers that have yet to be addressed by companies, the media, or governments. Written in an accessible style tailored to the general reader and Internet aficionados alike, including a comprehensive glossary of "netspeak," Gauntlett examines how this leakage occurs, who is putting private information on the net, as well as who can and does access it. He also suggests practical ways in which individuals can safeguard their privacy in the "information age."

Andrew Gauntlett has many years of experience in computer communications, both as a user and as a programmer. His dissertation for his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science at Portsmouth University was on the Legal Issues of Privacy and Encryption. In 1998, he completed a Master's Degree in Computation at the University of Oxford (Jesus College), where he specialized in formal software design and wrote a thesis on intelligent communications protocols. Presently, Andrew is working as a consultant to the investment banking sector within the city of London, and as a freelance journalist reporting on the social and legal aspects of computing. Net Spies is his first book.