Online Privacy and Health Care

Students and educators will find this series relevant and current. All aspects of one’s online presence are covered; the what, why, and how information is collected is explored and the ways in which it can be protected is explained. Each volume gives a concise history regarding online privacy as it pertains to each of the subjects. Real-life and/or news stories are interspersed giving substance to the facts discussed. Each title contains Source Notes, Online Privacy Tips, Related Organizations and Websites, and For Further Research. Educators will find the series a valuable resource for an information literacy curriculum. This is an excellent source for a high school library. Index.

Each title is an excellent summary of the current trends in the field of online privacy. Legal background is analyzed and current issues are placed in context with the historical background of the controversy. Each book is divided into five chapters, tracing the history of the issue, practical information for living with privacy violations, and current cases and famous personalities in the news. Online Privacy and Health Care begins with a discussion of society’s expectations of privacy and how it has changed from the times of Locke and Aristotle to today, with the Patriot Act allowing the government to collect personal information under a variety of circumstances. Legal issues discussed include Roe v. Wade, HIPAA laws, the Electronic Medical Records controversy, and recent computer hacking cases. Online Privacy and Government begins with a discussion of the Edward Snowden case and reviews historic decisions, such as the Olmstead decision, the Katz v. U. S. decision and the U. S. v. Miller case. High teen interest examples such as the Long Island murder cases, the case of Maxi Sopo, who was caught through his Facebook page, the Boston bombing case, and other famous news stories are also included. Reading these examples may make students think twice about what they are posting and to whom they send messages. Online Privacy and Social Media begins with the story of Yuri Wright, who had his scholarship offers to play football rescinded because of his twitter account postings. Current trends discussed include tracking on twitter, using apps and location services, scams and threats, cyber bullying, and keeping a balance between sharing information and protecting your privacy. This book discusses the ongoing dilemma of “how much do people really have to share” and the consequences of sharing it. All three books have extensive footnotes, citing law review articles, cases, and high-interest news stories. The books are written in a very clear and direct style. The paragraphs are short and there are subchapter headings about every three to four paragraphs. The narrative is lively and filled with timely examples. There are colorful pictures and high-interest quotes in the sidebars. The books are perfect for today’s common core textual-based claims and argumentative essay assignments.

Gr 9 Up–This series covers important and timely topics relating to online privacy concerns and provides information about how people can protect themselves from identity theft and scams (as well as other more general information, including some historical background about the Internet). There is lot of content here, with discussion about how online privacy issues pervade many aspects of our lives; an extensive index will assist with sifting through it all. An “Online Privacy Tips” feature at the end of each book is useful for condensing material. However, like “Cell Phones and Society” (Reference Point Pr.), the books contain huge blocks of dense text, an abundance of footnotes, and a dry narrative style; they also lack relevance for most kids and teens. Though these titles are possibilities for older readers doing in-depth research on online privacy, they aren’t ideal for general purchase.