Look Who's Watching: Surveillance, Treachery and Trust Online - Hardcover

?Fen Osler Hampson and Eric Jardine capture the complex ways in which, until now, trust has functioned as the social capital and currency of the Internet ecosystem and driven rapid adoption of digital technology. They provide insight into what we can do t

?Anyone who is interested in studying or understanding the evolution of the Web and the Internet should read this book. It contains a wealth of invaluable information and analysis about the changing views of Internet users, as well as a strong thesis abou

?Hampson and Jardine provide an important guide to the way we are now dependent upon public trust in the Internet for our future economic and social life. Based on new polling data they issue an important wake-up call on the risks to public confidence ari

?The authors have produced a clear, timely and essential book about the importance of trust as an engine for the Internet. We must foster that trust if the global Internet is to continue to flourish.? Michael Chertoff, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, Chertoff Group, and former secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security

The Internet ecosystem is held together by a surprisingly intangible glue - trust. Users need to trust that the Internet works reliably and efficiently when providing them with the information they seek, while also being secure, private and safe. When trust in the Internet wanes, the network's stock of "digital social capital" falls, and users begin to alter their online behaviour. These often subtle changes in behaviour tend to collectively be highly maladaptive, hindering the economic, developmental and innovative potential of the globe-spanning network of networks. Look Who's Watchingconfirms in detail that the trust placed by users in the Internet is increasingly misplaced. Edward Snowden's revelations that the US National Security Agency and other government agencies are spying on Internet users, the proliferation of cybercrime, the growing commodification of user data and regulatory changes are all rapidly eroding the confidence users have. Based on a combination of illustrative anecdotal evidence and analysis of new data, this book demonstrates why trust matters, how it is being eroded and how, with care and deliberate policy action, trust in the Internet can be restored.