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Cyber Citizens

Saving Democracy with Digital Literacy

Author Heidi Boghosian
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Hardcover
$28.95 US
Beacon Press
On sale Jun 24, 2025 | 288 Pages | 9780807010846
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A grounding exploration of how our online prowess shapes the very essence of democracy

The electronic age compels us to confront the delicate balance between the convenience of constant connectivity and the protection of personal privacy, security, and democracy itself. Presented as a two-fold concern of digital and civic literacy, surveillance and privacy expert Heidi Boghosian argues that our fight to uphold democracy must extend to the online world.

As “smart” citizens, our best chance of thriving in the digital era lies in taking care of our “smart” selves as diligently as we maintain our smart devices. In the same way that smart devices can disclose private information when not adequately secured, our online presence can lead to unintentional data exposure or identity theft. That entails a commitment to learning digital literacy and cyber hygiene from the first moment we engage with technology. Mastering the fundamentals of civics—the rights and responsibilities of citizens—rounds out the democratic assignment. With AI and machine learning poised to play a transformative role in our 21st century lives, we, as humans, have our own generative learning journey to master.

Drawing parallels between Americans and their "smart" devices, Cyber Citizens sheds light on the delicate balance between connectivity and privacy to uphold a truly democratic society.
INTRODUCTION
Our Internet Connectedness

PART ONE: BACK TO BASICS

CHAPTER 1
Flunking Civics 101

CHAPTER 2
Failing Digital Literacy

CHAPTER 3
Bad Digital Hygiene

PART TWO: DEMOCRACY IN TILT

CHAPTER 4
Mega Churches Meet Mega Think Tanks

CHAPTER 5
Hate Migrates Online

CHAPTER 6
Ad Tech

CHAPTER 7
Trillionaire Tech Overlords

CHAPTER 8
Surveillance: The New Critical Infrastructure

PART THREE: PRACTICES FOR THE PEOPLE

CHAPTER 9
Disrupters for Democracy: Open-Source, Blockchain, and More

CHAPTER 10
Bending to the GDPR

CHAPTER 11
Becoming Digitally Literate Citizens

CHAPTER 12
A Safer Digital World: Cyber Hygienists

CHAPTER 13
Correcting the Tilt

CHAPTER 14
Games for Democracy

CONCLUSION
Cyber Sparks: Inspiring Informed Action

A User’s Guide for the Digital Age
Organizations Supporting Digital Literacy, Privacy, Civics, and Activism
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Heidi Boghosian is a surveillance and privacy expert, a lawyer, an activist, and the author of “I Have Nothing to Hide”: And 20 Other Myths About Surveillance and Privacy. She has led several civil liberties and social justice organizations, including the National Lawyers Guild and the A.J. Muste Foundation for Peace and Justice. An advisory board member for the Georgetown Center on Privacy and Technology, she also co-hosts the civil liberties radio show and podcast Law and Disorder.
Heidi Boghosian View titles by Heidi Boghosian

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A grounding exploration of how our online prowess shapes the very essence of democracy

The electronic age compels us to confront the delicate balance between the convenience of constant connectivity and the protection of personal privacy, security, and democracy itself. Presented as a two-fold concern of digital and civic literacy, surveillance and privacy expert Heidi Boghosian argues that our fight to uphold democracy must extend to the online world.

As “smart” citizens, our best chance of thriving in the digital era lies in taking care of our “smart” selves as diligently as we maintain our smart devices. In the same way that smart devices can disclose private information when not adequately secured, our online presence can lead to unintentional data exposure or identity theft. That entails a commitment to learning digital literacy and cyber hygiene from the first moment we engage with technology. Mastering the fundamentals of civics—the rights and responsibilities of citizens—rounds out the democratic assignment. With AI and machine learning poised to play a transformative role in our 21st century lives, we, as humans, have our own generative learning journey to master.

Drawing parallels between Americans and their "smart" devices, Cyber Citizens sheds light on the delicate balance between connectivity and privacy to uphold a truly democratic society.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
Our Internet Connectedness

PART ONE: BACK TO BASICS

CHAPTER 1
Flunking Civics 101

CHAPTER 2
Failing Digital Literacy

CHAPTER 3
Bad Digital Hygiene

PART TWO: DEMOCRACY IN TILT

CHAPTER 4
Mega Churches Meet Mega Think Tanks

CHAPTER 5
Hate Migrates Online

CHAPTER 6
Ad Tech

CHAPTER 7
Trillionaire Tech Overlords

CHAPTER 8
Surveillance: The New Critical Infrastructure

PART THREE: PRACTICES FOR THE PEOPLE

CHAPTER 9
Disrupters for Democracy: Open-Source, Blockchain, and More

CHAPTER 10
Bending to the GDPR

CHAPTER 11
Becoming Digitally Literate Citizens

CHAPTER 12
A Safer Digital World: Cyber Hygienists

CHAPTER 13
Correcting the Tilt

CHAPTER 14
Games for Democracy

CONCLUSION
Cyber Sparks: Inspiring Informed Action

A User’s Guide for the Digital Age
Organizations Supporting Digital Literacy, Privacy, Civics, and Activism
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

Author

Heidi Boghosian is a surveillance and privacy expert, a lawyer, an activist, and the author of “I Have Nothing to Hide”: And 20 Other Myths About Surveillance and Privacy. She has led several civil liberties and social justice organizations, including the National Lawyers Guild and the A.J. Muste Foundation for Peace and Justice. An advisory board member for the Georgetown Center on Privacy and Technology, she also co-hosts the civil liberties radio show and podcast Law and Disorder.
Heidi Boghosian View titles by Heidi Boghosian

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