Understanding the Digital World

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Subtitle: Everything you need to know about the internet, security, and privacy. Computers are everywhere, and they are not just the familiar laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Most other computers are invisible to us—they control household appliances, cars, medical devices, transportation systems, energy grids, and even weapon systems. Billions of computers quietly collect and share vast amounts of data about us every day. Governments and companies monitor more and more of what we do through computers. Social networks and advertisers know much more about us than we would like, using information that we voluntarily provide. Do we truly understand the power of computers in our world? Brian W. Kernighan's book starts with the physical construction of computers and an analysis of how they actually do their work, touching on all important aspects from programming to construction and internet issues, as well as the social, legal, and political impacts of digitization and their solutions. This comprehensive overview allows us to understand the risks that computers pose to our privacy and security. Therefore, it is an essential sum of information for anyone who cares about their life.