“On Privacy: Twenty Lessons to Live By”

A look at personal data and security with Lawrence Cappello.

By Lawrence Cappello
c.2025, Workman
$20, 160 pages

Peek-a-boo.

Yep, somebody sees you there. You can’t hide, you’re too big to slink away unnoticed, and there’s no Boy Wizard to make you invisible. It wouldn’t do any good anyhow: For your entire life, you’ve left trails behind wherever you go — footprints and evidence of your presence and behavior. Just thinking about that might feel weird, but once you’ve read “On Privacy” by Lawrence Cappello, it might seem exactly right.

Go ahead, admit it: You have secrets. Everybody does, and that’s okay. There are some things you just don’t want to share; in fact, says Cappello, it’s best if you don’t because “secrets [can] impact people in positive ways.” Keeping certain things to yourself actually enhances your mental well-being and makes closer relationships possible.

And yet, you hand strangers your personal information every day, whether it’s on-purpose or by accident. For instance, fill out a registration form or giveaway slip and — boom! — you’ve just given out your individual, unique data. Or you got scammed online. Or you didn’t do anything but log into a computer at a hotel or you used public Wi-Fi, and your data is simply collected without your knowledge.

That’s terrifying, but Cappello didn’t write this book to scare anyone. He says panic and apathy aren’t the right responses, nor is scolding anyone who isn’t even trying to keep themselves — or you — safe and your privacy, private.

Wait — is there even such a thing as privacy anymore? Cappello says there is, and smart people take steps to make sure it remains so. Know what happens to your data once it’s taken, and learn to safeguard all your devices. Lobby for your right to be forgotten, online and otherwise. Know how to opt out on data sharing, and never use public Wi-Fi.

When dealing with police or the TSA, watch for “evasive language.” Remember that your cellphone is basically a tracking device. And finally, “take a hard look at what digital architects call ‘Privacy by Design.’” Says Cappello, PbD may be the way of the future.

The walls have eyes. So do your bank, your computer, your favorite restaurant, the elevator to work and maybe your neighbor’s house. And if the very idea of all that makes you squirm, you need this book.

Meant for anyone who’s stuck between wanting privacy and wondering if worry is silly, “On Privacy” isn’t meant to fear-monger. Instead, Cappello offers a balanced way to think about covertness, revealing and how to manage both sides. This guided tour is done in an easy-to-understand way that entertains while also helping readers with methods for arming themselves against pushy naysayers and ideas to further protect what they want to keep on the Q-T — both at work and personally.

Absolutely, this is a book for conspiracy theorists, but someone who prefers to err on the side of caution will probably find it to be more useful. If that’s you, then grab this short book; “On Privacy” is worth a good, long peek.

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