Permanent Record
by Edward Snowden · first published 2019
43% recommend57% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Clear, honest memoir that traces Snowden's youth in early internet culture through his intelligence work, giving a chilling inside look at the agencies and a persuasive case for why privacy matters.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US government’s system of mass surveillance, reveals for the first time the story of his life, including how he helped to build that system and what motivated him to try to bring it down. In 2013, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Snowden shocked the world when he broke with the American intelligence establishment and revealed that the United States government was secretly pursuing the means to collect every single phone call, text message, and email. The result would be an unprecedented system of mass surveillance with the ability to pr
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Good for them! I read and really enjoyed "Permanent Record" by Edward Snowden[1]. In it he talked about a time when we didn't use our real names, we'd both change identities and did not expect our identities to be perfectly congruent with our IRL selves. (an…
on “Google introducing tool for under-18s to remove images of them from search” ↗Permanent Record by Edward Snowden. I've followed his wild ride since the beginning and have always had mixed opinions about his motives, but this book is as craftily written as it is interesting/informative. He quite…
on “Ask HN: What Are You Reading?” ↗Interesting, thanks for the recommendation! I recently read Permanent Record[1][2] by Edward Snowden and it'll be interesting to contrast his account from Bamford's some 30-40 years ago. I have to say, Snowden's autobiography was a fantastic read and a chilling look inside the…
on “Facebook Tells Barr It Won’t Open Up Encrypted Messages” ↗Just some of the top of my head... 1. Permanent Record (Snowden) 2. Maude (Mabry)
on “Ask HN: Books You Read in 2019?” ↗The Unicorn Project, The 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey, Permanent Record, Turn the ship around, The Checklist Manifesto, These are good ones!
on “Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?” ↗…to all of the information you could take came to be how we made sense of what was otherwise an insurmountable challenge due to circumstance(s) beyond one's control. If you have time, consider reading Permanent Record by Edward Snowden, the way he describes his experiences is so typical of the People who I have come to have a near instant bond/connection with as they often have a similar story as your own.
on “How do unschoolers turn out? (2014)” ↗…Yuval Noah Harari -21 Lessons for the 21st Century -Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn man!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman -Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson -Permanent Record by Edward Snowden
on “Ask HN: Best books read in 2022” ↗Permanent Record - Edward Snoden
on “Ask HN: What book should I read next?” ↗- Pragmatic Programmer 2nd edition - Permanent Record
on “Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2019?” ↗PERMANENT RECORD by Ed Snowden
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗Permanent Record, by Edward Snowden
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗…commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors. * "Permanent Record" by Edward Snowden (1 mention) * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government.…
on “Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?” ↗…world's most prolific art thieves. Finkel delves into Breitwieser's audacious exploits, shedding light on his motivations, the world of stolen art, and the complex dynamics of his criminal pursuits. 6. "Permanent Record" by Edward Snowden Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who exposed mass surveillance by the US government, opens up about his life and the events that led him to expose the system he helped build. This…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2023” ↗After reading Edward Snowden's autobiography (Permanent Record, great read), I feel like Tor, end-to-end encryption and similar solutions/products are basically a dagger through the heart of intelligence services. As such, I find it hard to believe that they knowingly…
on “The FBI Identified a Tor User” ↗…narrative of "control your life and decisions" would be an effective piece of rhetoric, I think! The other argument I've found really effective is one that convinced me after reading Edward Snowden's memoir Permanent Record. A sketch of the point: Person 1: privacy matters. Person 2: I don't care about privacy, because I don't have anything to hide. Person 1: Historically, the folks who were hurt because of a lack of privacy…
on “Why to care about privacy after years of sharing data” ↗