Finn Brunton Books

Finn Brunton and Helen Nissenbaum aim to spark a revolution against pervasive digital surveillance by advocating for obfuscation—the intentional use of ambiguous or misleading information to disrupt data collection by governments, corporations, and hackers. They provide a toolkit of privacy-protecting techniques, emphasizing the importance of evasion and noncompliance, particularly for average users who lack control over their data. By teaching users to resist surveillance, guiding software developers to protect user data, and advising policymakers on ethical data collection, they empower individuals to push back against invasive practices. The authors detail various forms of obfuscation, illustrating its application with historical and contemporary examples, such as World War II radar chaff and Twitter bots that undermined protest movements. They explore the necessity and justification of obfuscation, its mechanisms, and its integration with other privacy practices and technologies. This comprehensive guide aims to equip readers with the knowledge to navigate and challenge the complexities of digital surveillance effectively.

Bitcoin may seem like a revolutionary form of digital cash, but it is merely the latest experiment in a long history of similar efforts dating back to the 1970s. The story of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology has remained largely untold until now. This exploration reveals how technological utopians and political radicals have crafted experimental money to realize their visions, whether for privacy, governmental disruption, or innovative abundance. The narrative of cryptocurrency pioneers takes us through diverse settings: from autonomous zones at sea to valuable dumps, from bank runs to idea coupons, and from San Francisco bars with time travelers to the security patterns on twenty-dollar bills. The journey also delves into the hard questions these innovators confronted: How do we learn to trust and utilize different forms of money? What attributes confer value to digital objects? How does currency establish its reality? What would it take for a digital equivalent to cash to exist—one that is exchangeable but not copyable, created but not forged, and reveals nothing about its users? Rich with fascinating characters and stories, this account offers an engaging look at the unusual origins and groundbreaking technologies that fuel today’s cryptocurrency surge.