Bazzell, M., & Carroll, J. (2016). The Complete Privacy & Security Desk Reference-Volume I Digital. United States of America: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 478 pp

Abstract

As I was writing this book review, the announcement about Equifax’s data breach, which affected about 143 million people, was dominating the daily discussions within United States. Following this major event, many institutions such as banks and credit reporting agencies were reaching out to their customers providing guidance as to how they can address identity theft issues, which may be caused by this data breach. The effect of these snippets of guidance on individuals’ privacy and security behavior remains to be evaluated. However, it is no secret that developing the digital security and privacy literacy of individuals has become a necessity given the massive digitization, storage, and processing of personal data by organizations worldwide. Within this context, Bazzell and Carroll’s book The Complete Privacy & Security Desk Reference-Volume I Digital is a welcome resource for a wide variety of audience. Reading the biography of both authors, one can easily note their vast amount of practical experience related to computer security, forensics, digital intelligence, and privacy. The content of their book reflects the accumulation of this practical experience. The authors categorized the content of the book into four levels of difficulty: i) basic, ii) intermediate, iii) advanced, and iv) expert, to appeal to a wide range of audience with a diverse set of interests and skill sets. They organized the material into an introduction, followed by 27 chapters, a conclusion, and an index. In the following section, I will provide a brief summary of these sections.