Henry reviewed Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons by Carey Parker
Rely on this practical, end-to-end guide on cyber safety and privacy written expressly for a …
Amazing Book, for the Right Audience!
4 stars
Context: I consider myself on the advanced side of the privacy/security world. The goal of this review isn't to sound elitist, but rather to paint an accurate depiction of this book and who it's for.
For someone like myself, this book didn't provide a huge amount of value. There were occasional moments where Parker's input would make me consider different perspectives on privacy that I've never held - such as how individual privacy can directly & indirectly improve the privacy of others. But generally speaking, almost every piece of advice shared in this book I already accomplished on my own journey.
But that doesn't mean this book isn't massively important. This is the information the world needs to hear: How and why to use password managers, what browsers are and how to choose a private one, search engines, phones, 2FA, etc. Parker is able to expertly take advanced topics and …
Context: I consider myself on the advanced side of the privacy/security world. The goal of this review isn't to sound elitist, but rather to paint an accurate depiction of this book and who it's for.
For someone like myself, this book didn't provide a huge amount of value. There were occasional moments where Parker's input would make me consider different perspectives on privacy that I've never held - such as how individual privacy can directly & indirectly improve the privacy of others. But generally speaking, almost every piece of advice shared in this book I already accomplished on my own journey.
But that doesn't mean this book isn't massively important. This is the information the world needs to hear: How and why to use password managers, what browsers are and how to choose a private one, search engines, phones, 2FA, etc. Parker is able to expertly take advanced topics and boil it down to the bare minimum for what non-techies need to understand.
This is a book I could hand out to strangers in public with full confidence that most people could read it, understand it, and implement a wide portion of its advice. Bringing privacy & security education to the masses requires accessible books like these, and this will be my new top pick for all people looking for a book to get started on their journey.
My only criticism with the book is I personally don't agree with all recommendations/advice, but much of this is attributed to the rapidly-changing digital landscape, and I'm sure a majority of my issues would be resolved with a new edition in 2022. Even then, recommendations are largely personal preference, and Parker almost always leaves disclaimers and valid reasons for why he recommends each tool, even if there are some acknowledged sacrifices. Overall, super nitpicky criticism and doesn't discount the excellent progress every person would make if they followed everything to a T. Great book, and very grateful Parker wrote it for the community!
