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malexmave's review
4.0
This book is a conversation between Julian Assange, Jacob Appelbaum, Andy Müller-Maguhn and Jeremie Zimmermann. If you know these people, you know what to expect: A discussion about the internet, freedom, censorship and surveillance. And that is exactly what you will get.
For me, that's fine. I know that Jacob and Julian are very good with such discussions, and Andy and Jeremie are quite good at this kind of thing as well, as it turns out. There are no revolutionary new ideas here, but it serves as a short summary of the problems of the world and the internet, as seen by these people.
I picked this book up on sale for $1, which it is definitely worth. I am not sure how much more I would be willing to pay for it, though, simply because I basically already knew pretty much everything they are talking about. If you, however, are looking for an introduction into the world view of these people, by all means, give it a read.
For me, that's fine. I know that Jacob and Julian are very good with such discussions, and Andy and Jeremie are quite good at this kind of thing as well, as it turns out. There are no revolutionary new ideas here, but it serves as a short summary of the problems of the world and the internet, as seen by these people.
I picked this book up on sale for $1, which it is definitely worth. I am not sure how much more I would be willing to pay for it, though, simply because I basically already knew pretty much everything they are talking about. If you, however, are looking for an introduction into the world view of these people, by all means, give it a read.
schmoterp's review
2.0
The book is basically a transcript of a discussion the authors had together. Had I known that, I probably would not have elected to read it. I prefer to watch debate and dialouge. This was an audible.com listen and it was distracting to constantly have the speaker's name announced before they spoke.
On the subject of the book itself, there were many interesting points. The Cypherpunks present a pretty dreary future with respect to freedom...at least as information and the Internet is concerned. Personally, this was too much for my mind. I'm unfamiliar with the realities of our technology and have no real fears except for those I read in stories or see in movies; and I have no real expectations except that the Internet works when I need it to. The book is a call to arms of sorts and I have neither the inclination nor the desire to pick up a weapon and fight back - I wouldn't know how. I am one of the sheep, in this case. It is a war on/with/about information and how it is disseminated. The arguments are being made on the very medium that the cypherpunks created and content they are protecting, the Internet. But it's also the medium that they claim the world governments are eager to control.
I found myself in awe how I could see how easily my mind is shaped by media. Julian Assange is treated like a criminal and one of the most dangerous people on the planet. And yet, in this setting, you feel yourself rooting for him. Mr. Assange and his cypherpunk associates believe the world as we know it will soon succumb to a 1984-esque "Big Brother" state of surveillance. They even argue that such a state is inevitable. Which one do I believe? At the moment, it's simply not that important for me to care about.
If you are interested in cyber-security or even world affairs, this book may be of some interst to you...but it wasn't for me and this is why I gave it 2 stars. The format of the book also didn't help. It seems crazy that someone can "write" a book in the time it takes to transpose the spoken word to the written and then sell it like it's some novel thinking.
On the subject of the book itself, there were many interesting points. The Cypherpunks present a pretty dreary future with respect to freedom...at least as information and the Internet is concerned. Personally, this was too much for my mind. I'm unfamiliar with the realities of our technology and have no real fears except for those I read in stories or see in movies; and I have no real expectations except that the Internet works when I need it to. The book is a call to arms of sorts and I have neither the inclination nor the desire to pick up a weapon and fight back - I wouldn't know how. I am one of the sheep, in this case. It is a war on/with/about information and how it is disseminated. The arguments are being made on the very medium that the cypherpunks created and content they are protecting, the Internet. But it's also the medium that they claim the world governments are eager to control.
I found myself in awe how I could see how easily my mind is shaped by media. Julian Assange is treated like a criminal and one of the most dangerous people on the planet. And yet, in this setting, you feel yourself rooting for him. Mr. Assange and his cypherpunk associates believe the world as we know it will soon succumb to a 1984-esque "Big Brother" state of surveillance. They even argue that such a state is inevitable. Which one do I believe? At the moment, it's simply not that important for me to care about.
If you are interested in cyber-security or even world affairs, this book may be of some interst to you...but it wasn't for me and this is why I gave it 2 stars. The format of the book also didn't help. It seems crazy that someone can "write" a book in the time it takes to transpose the spoken word to the written and then sell it like it's some novel thinking.
ahmetasabanci's review
5.0
Fazlasıyla önemli ve değerli bulduğum bir kitap. Hakkında daha detaylı bir eleştiriyi http://ahmetasabanci.com/sifrepunk-cypherpunk-cagimizin-el-kitabi-adayim/ adresinde yazdım.
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