Listening In

Listening In: Cybersecurity in an Insecure Age, by Susan Landau, examines the tensions between privacy and security in the digital era, explaining how encryption, backdoors, law enforcement access, and pervasive surveillance shape risks for individuals and states. Landau combines technical explanation with policy and legal analysis, tracing the history of signals intelligence and the rise of ubiquitous data collection while arguing for strong cryptography, transparent oversight, and measured reforms rather than insecure workarounds. The book highlights threats from both state actors and criminals, clarifies tradeoffs involved in proposed solutions, and offers practical recommendations for policymakers, technologists, and concerned citizens seeking to protect civil liberties without abandoning legitimate security needs.