The art of invisibility reveiw, How to be safe in the age of big data
Kevin Mitnick’s The art of invisibility teaches us the virtue in remaining invisible in a validation driven society.
The issue isn’t so much the information in the book but rather are the masses ready for it?.
In green bold font titled”The worlds most famous hacker” on the front cover makes Mitnick a perfect candidate on the subject. Prior to Y2K free thinking citizens were aware of Big Brothers attempts to surveillance moments of their daily lives.
The art of Invisibility can be purchased here
Today social media has brainwashed us into revealing our most intimate details of our lives. Essentially were doing big brothers job for them. The masses see no value in their data, remote controls possibly listening to conversations, or being protected from hackers.
In the introduction titled “time to disappear”, Mitnick tells readers.
“Average Americans are being caught up in a post 9/11 dragnet that was initially designed to stop foreign terrorists but that now spies on practically everyone”
Unfortunately as A.I. and Tech invades some of our most intimate activities inside our homes. I.e. Thermostat, refrigerator, remotes & microphones. Mitnick’ explains that although the items listed above may not be in use they are subjected to being hacked. Furthermore all hackers aren’t just strangers, in chapter 12 titled the Internet of Strangers, Mitnick writes;
“In one vengeful product reveiw of the honeywell Wi-Fi smart Touchscreen Thermostat, someone who calls himself the General wrote on amazon that his ex-wife took the house, the dog, and the 401(k), but he retained the password to the Honeywell thermostat.
When the ex-wife and her boyfriend wre out of town, the General claimed he would jack up the temperature in the house and then lower it back down before they returned: “I can only imagine what their electricity bills might be. It makes me smile.”
As a former hacker that was on the FBI’s most wanted list. Mitnick succeeds in establishing a simple framework for invincibility. While the masses may not see a need to remain invincible, those of us who may fell unfulfilled.
For instance, tips such as using 20-25 character passwords, disabling voice feature are borderline common sense for the average conspiracy theorist out there.
It’s hard to gauge who Mitnicks target audience is with this book. Does he want the average consumer who will overlook the book. Or does he want the conspiracy theorist who are already implementing at least half of the stealthy tips recommend?. This isn’t meant to discourage either one from reading the book either.
For the average internet user with at least 3-4 social media accounts this is a great book. But for those who already have a VPN prior to reading it won’t get much deeper than that.
The Art of Invisibility does great with explaining the benefits of encryption, 2 factor authorizations and how to protect your router. Personally I would have liked something deeper on data and how to find a balance of using the internet to leverage our time without sacrificing our innate need for human interaction.
In his defense however, Nitmick does recommend a Chromebook as a separate device for banking/finances.
“THE KEY TO THRIVING IN A HIGH TECH WORLD IS TO IRONICALLY SPEND LESS TIME USING IT”
Carl newport author of digital minimalism
In conclusion, as time goes on however, I expect this book to become more popular among the masses. As consumers data becomes more valuable. The more controversy associated with our data usage the more its sales will increase.
Due to this inevitable occurrence The Art of Invisibility is recommended that will only get better with age.
Verdict:READ
Do you wish to remain invisible in a validation seeking data driven society? Why or why not? Let us know in the comment section below.
Before reading Mitnick’s The Art of Invincibility, I would highly recommend reading Yuval Hari’s 21 lesson’s for the 21st century first, Then Digital minimalism by Carl Newport.