In The Privacy Pirates, Dr. Leslie Gruis explains the origins of American privacy and its deep connection to freedom and the American dream

Dr. Gruis explains the origins of American privacy and its deep connection to freedom and the American dream. She discusses some of the controversial issues, covering everything from attempts to protect privacy rights—many unsuccesful.

Former National Security Agency intelligence officer Dr. Leslie Gruis

'Worry about Facebook and Google, not the government,' says Dr. Leslie Gruis in 'The Privacy Pirates'

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 17, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Former NSA and CIA intelligence officer Leslie Gruis, Ph.D., has unveiled her groundbreaking book "The Privacy Pirates: How Your Privacy is Being Stolen and What You Can Do About It" (Academica Press, 2023), which delves deep into the relentless erosion of Americans' privacy rights for corporate gain and offers indispensable solutions.

"The Privacy Pirates excel at making it appear inconsequential, offering us convenience in return. However, in reality, our rights to be left undisturbed and unexploited are the bedrock of our existence."

With a stellar 30-year career spanning the National Security Agency (NSA), the CIA, and concluding her service on the National Intelligence Council, Dr. Gruis brings unparalleled insider knowledge to the forefront.

Her extensive experience has led her to a disconcerting revelation: colossal corporations possess an almost boundless capacity to manipulate private data to a degree that would startle most Americans.

This encompasses tech giants such as Facebook and Google, as well as numerous less-known entities, all of whom prefer to keep this disconcerting reality concealed. These corporations reap billions by peddling aggregated data, unveiling personal genetic predispositions, financial habits, intimate secrets, political leanings, and even information about your children.

With her breezy, plain-language read, Dr. Gruis highlights the insidious nature of privacy invasion: “That free online game sounds like a great idea,” she writes. “Until it gathers aggregated data about your reaction time, and now your insurance costs go up 1,000 percent because some algorithm thinks you have precursors for Parkinson’s disease.”

“With the unrestricted Wild West we currently have for privacy invasion, not even your health insurer may know why your premiums went up ten times... just that their actuarial tables said so,” she writes.

Dr. Gruis emphasizes that what may sound like a dystopian scenario is happening right now. The situation concerning overseas Privacy Pirates is even more disconcerting.

In a milestone incident dating back to July 2019, the Federal Trade Commission levied a record $5 billion consumer privacy fine against Facebook for selling user data to third parties. In late 2022, Google was exposed for surreptitiously tracking user locations and peddling this information.

In May 2023, the U.S. Justice Department prosecuted Amazon for tracking and aggregating sensitive data about children.

In 'The Privacy Pirates,' Dr. Gruis narrates the compelling story of an average American family – fourteen-year-old Alice, her parents Mary and Scott and her grandmother Ruby. They navigate contemporary privacy challenges in their everyday lives, offering poignant illustrations of how the Privacy Pirates operate. These anecdotes are intertwined with a meticulous insider analysis of how we reached this perilous juncture.

The book does not stop at unveiling privacy invasion or detailing its origins. It also equips readers with actionable steps to safeguard their privacy, making the lives of the Privacy Pirates considerably more challenging.

"Privacy is not a lost cause; it resides in the hands of the average American," Dr. Gruis concludes. " We may feel powerless, but in reality, we hold all the cards. My objective in writing this book is to unveil what the Privacy Pirates desperately wish to keep hidden and empower every American to assert their privacy rights."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Gruis obtained her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Engineering Sciences from Northwestern University. She worked as an intelligence officer for the NSA for 30 years. Early in her career, Dr. Gruis developed disruptive technology solutions to difficult national security challenges, and served as the first president of NSA's Women in Mathematics Society. As a senior intelligence officer, Dr. Gruis contributed to the debate on alleged privacy abuses from the inside. She worked with government attorneys to explain the capabilities that technologies brought in order to develop legally defensible sources and methods to protect national security while also preserving civil rights. Her last two assignments were at US Cyber Command and the National Intelligence Council at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Since retirement, Dr. Gruis' interests are privacy, and mentoring K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students. Dr. Gruis has spoken on privacy in various forums including the University of Alaska, the Serious Games Association at the University of Montreal, and the Cosmos Club in Washington DC. To book Dr. Gruis for a speaking engagement, send an email to info@privacypastpresentfuture.com.

Availability

The Privacy Pirates is available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle format on Amazon.com and at leading bookstores near you.

For more of Dr. Leslie Gruis's works, visit her official website:
www.lesliegruis.com

John H Arundel
Perdicus Communications
+1 703-963-4191
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