Burners & Black Markets: How to Be Invisible

I kind of have a split personality. The Patriot Act and the ensuing attacks on everyday, innocent Americans' rights makes me nervous as hell. This reactionary eroding of our civil rights could eventually signal the end of those rights. On the other hand, I found that Alexa records the goings-on in my home 24/7 and Amazon keeps those recordings for murky, unstated reasons. Also, the government is in the process of trying to get Amazon to turn over some customer recordings. But, Alexa is such a convenience and my family is so completely ordinary, I shrugged and said: let 'em listen. So, in the abstract, I worry about my right to anonymity and privacy, but in reality, I will, apparently, do very little about it. I mostly read this book out of curiosity--and, as a bonus, it was free the other day. That being said, let's get to the book.This work seems to be primarily written for people involved in, often international, illegal activities. But, it would also be a good read for those wishing to live off the grid based on a serious distrust of the government or for other, more personal, reasons. The author covers a lot of ground and most of it is quite engrossing. However, he did lose my interest significantly in a rather long section detailing many specific cell phone models. Also, his seeming abhorrence of commas was a bit distracting, as were the fairly frequent editing glitches. All-in-all, though, this is an informative and pretty comprehensive effort. I would recommend it.

Very well written. The author is a good writer. Alot of the information is helpful. A real gateway to the rabbithole in many areas.Full disclosure, most of this book is focused on every day privacy, not covert opsec for shady business.I feel like alot of the things regarding the more complex topics could have been elaborated on.The author is honest, thorough, and at times witty. Alot of the issues I have with the information presented, the author addresses in the next sentence.Some of this information is outdated, but I believe it is simply because this book is a little older.If you buy the book with a want to retake your whole life (not just your shady business) with very engaging writing, but are okay with it being outdated, then this is for you.

Half the book is just listing different burner phone models. The other half is the authors personal experiences used as an example of why security is important. I already know security is important. I can find phone specs online.I was hoping for more direct instruction and less filler. Mostly this is filler.Oh well, I don't regret buying the book, it isn't bad or wrong just not very helpful for the apparent target audience. Maybe buy it for your nephew who is doing stupid stuff and needs an introduction to how exposed they are but for someone who already realizes that fact, there is not much to learn from here.

Some pretty basic stuff,some new stuff even a cryptopunk like me didn't know. Good book overall and a definite read if your new to the darknet,tor,cryptography, or just a pothead not living in a legal state.

I ordered a new Book, got a used one, bent and a page stapled.