Re: Free Download of Matt Ivester's Book Available Now (until Jan. 30)!

["Solem, Vik P." <Vik.Solem () TUFTS EDU>]

I object to the use of the word "free" when it is used incorrectly.

The download is not free.  The book may not be obtained without giving
information.  Were the book free then I could download it anonymously and
read it.  This is not the case.

As Information Security professionals I urge that we keep a high standard
regarding the use of information.  Information has value.

The license agreement for downloading the material requires information
about the person doing so.  If it were a simply link to content then I
could download it for free.  (e.g. Use Tor and private browsing to pull it
onto my local machine and read it there.)


In a group of people who don't understand Information Security the issue
would be meaningless.  In a forum of people who understand Information
Security, the notion that Information has no value is simply not true, and
should be challenged.  I believe I've done so, and I have not explained
why I did so.

I'm not telling anyone not to download the book.  If there were a version
I could read for zero dollars then I'd have downloaded it already.  (I
don't have a Kindle.)  I'd still call to light the fact that it's not
free.  For me, the price of giving Amazon information about my interests
in that item would be worth the value of getting the item.

-Vik


Vik Solem, CISSP, Sr. Applications Risk Consultant
Tufts University, Information Security, vik.solem () tufts edu / 617-627-4326
InfoSec Team: information_security () tufts edu / 617-627-6070








On 2012-01-30 10:37 , "Tonkin, Derek K." <Derek_Tonkin () BAYLOR EDU> wrote:

> I apologize in advance for continuing this thread but I feel there is a
> meaningful discussion to be had here.
>
> First a few points of clarification:
> - the book is normally $9.99 for the Kindle version (the paperback is
> $12.78 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, it is not available for Nook or in
> any other ePub format)
> - the book is being offered for free by a partnership between Intel and
> the Stanford Student Association
>
> For those of you objecting to/upset by this, is it because:
> - you do not think author's writing books on the topic of protecting
> privacy should sell them through Amazon or anyone else who collects user
> data during the purchase process
> - you do not like the use of the word free and would have had no
> objection had the wording been different (if so how)
> - something else completely
>
> Thank you for any feedback you send,
> Derek
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv
> [mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of Solem, Vik P.
> Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 8:53 AM
> To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
> Subject: Re: [SECURITY] Free Download of Matt Ivester's Book Available
> Now (until Jan. 30)!
>
> It's not free at all.  If it were free then you would be permitted to
> download it without needing to sign up or have an account. (or have
> cookies enabled ...)
>
> Many companies continue to train people to give away their information as
> if it is meaningless.  If you choose to download this book then there is
> a price.  As with all purchases the PRICE has a different VALUE to each
> person.  $1,000 means more to some and less to others.  Just like money,
> purchasing habits & contact information mean more to some and less to
> others.
>
> Calling it free is simple misleading.
>
> The price is information about the purchaser.  For a book honoring Data
> Privacy, that sounds ironic to me.
>
> -Vik
>
> Vik Solem, CISSP, Sr. Applications Risk Consultant Tufts University,
> Information Security, vik.solem () tufts edu / 617-627-4326 InfoSec Team:
> information_security () tufts edu / 617-627-6070
>
>
>
> On Jan 27, 2012, at 14:21 , John Ladwig wrote:
>
> > And, you can't download the free book without logging in to Amazon.
> > And, near as I can tell, it's Kindle- or Kindle-apps-only.
> >
> > In honor of Data Privacy Day.
> >
> > The irony, it drips.
> >
> >   -jml
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv
> > [mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of Valerie Vogel
> > Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 12:34 PM
> > To: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv; John Ladwig
> > Subject: [SECURITY] Free Download of Matt Ivester's Book Available Now
> > (until Jan. 30)!
> >
> > Starting today (through January 30), you can download Matt Ivester's
> > book - "lol...OMG! What Every Student Needs to Know About Online
> > Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship, and Cyberbullying" - for
> > free from Amazon in honor of Data Privacy Day:
> > http://www.lolomgbook.com/#!vstc5=ebook
> >
> > Matt Ivester will also be joining us for a special EDUCAUSE Policy
> > webinar next Monday, January 30, 1-2 pm EST.
> > http://www.educause.edu/policy/dataprivacy
> >
> > We hope you'll have a chance to read the book and join us for a lively
> > discussion on Monday!
> > Thanks,
> > Valerie
> > _______________
> >
> > Valerie M. Vogel
> > Program Manager, EDUCAUSE
> > office: (202) 331-5374
> > e-mail: vvogel () educause edu
> > _______________
> >
> > Follow us on Twitter! @HEISCouncil