Take a deep dive into digital legal issues with these 9 book recommendations.
Compiled by Kerri-Ann Rowe, reference librarian and clinical assistant professor of law in the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library at UNC School of Law.
The Age of AI: And Our Human Future
Henry A. Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, & Daniel Huttenlocher
Little, Brown and Company, 2021
AI
Released at the end of 2021, The Age of AI explores artificial intelligence. Beginning with its history then placing artificial intelligence in context, the authors provide individual sections on global network platforms, security and world order, and human identity, before moving to a discussion of the future of AI. Written by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher, the book includes expertise from multiple fields as they present their considerations of AI.
A Human Algorithm: How Artificial Intelligence is Redefining Who We Are
Flynn Coleman
Counterpoint, 2019
AI
Written by an international human rights attorney, A Human Algorithm: How Artificial Intelligence is Redefining Who We Are explores the impact artificial intelligence has on humanity as a whole. The optimistic author presents both the benefits and the dangers of the adoption of AI before providing a framework for how to proceed with AI with a diverse, inclusive approach.
Why Privacy Matters
Neil Richards
Oxford University Press, 2021
Privacy
The book begins with “Privacy is dead.” From there, it provides an overview of current privacy values and practices, explaining why privacy matters before moving to recommending privacy rules that would serve to “promote the essential values of identity, freedom, and protection.”
The Known Citizen: A History of Privacy in Modern America
Sarah E. Igo
Harvard University Press, 2020
Privacy
The Known Citizen provides a thorough historical survey of privacy, drawing on a variety of sources. Using this history, the author explains how this nebulous value has evolved throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Cyber Privacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care
April Falcon Doss
BenBella Books, 2020
Privacy
Framed around the questions, “Who has your data? Why should you care? And most important, what can you do about it?”, Cyber Privacy intends to demonstrate to the reader exactly how their information is being used by the private sector, the government, employers, and schools. It explains the roles of science, technology, and the law on privacy and provides direction on how to navigate privacy issues when technology is evolving so quickly and the laws are changing so slowly.
Big Breaches: Cybersecurity Lessons for Everyone
Neil Daswani & Moudy Elbayadi
Apress, 2021
Cybersecurity
Although mostly directed towards technology and business leaders, Big Breaches covers some of the largest security breaches that have taken place in the past 15 years, providing in-depth analysis of how each breach happened and the potential fallout. The book provides in-depth understanding of the role of cybersecurity and where it can go wrong.
Blockchain and the Law: The Rule of Code
Primavera De Filippi & Aaron Wright
Harvard University Press, 2019
Cryptocurrency
Blockchain and the Law begins with easy-to-understand explanations of blockchain, bitcoin, and a brief history of the internet before delving into the systems regulating them, explaining the difficulties in regulation due to the inherent features of the new technology.
Cryptoassets: Legal, Regulatory, and Monetary Perspectives
Edited by Chris Brummer
Oxford University Press, 2019
Cryptocurrency
Cryptoassets is composed of a collection of chapters on cryptoasset related issues. Individual sections are written by experts, including venture capitalists, securities law attorneys, and scholars amongst many others. The book provides a tremendous overview of the history of banking, money, and payments before exploring cryptosystems as they stand today.
Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet
David Kaye
Columbia Global Reports, 2019
Constitutional Rights and Social Media
Speech Police discusses who should police the internet (if anyone at all), including “giant social media platforms”, government entities, and/or international organizations. The author also provides a framework for preserving free speech on the internet while moderating the dangers.
