Julia Angwin

Julia Angwin is an investigative journalist and author known for her work examining technology's impact on society. She won a Pulitzer Prize while at The Wall Street Journal and was later a Pulitzer finalist during her tenure at ProPublica, before co-founding The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom focused on technology investigations. Her books include "Stealing MySpace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America" (2009) and "Dragnet Nation" (2014), both exploring themes of digital privacy, corporate power, and technological influence. Her journalism frequently addresses algorithmic bias, data privacy, and the societal implications of big tech. Angwin's background uniquely positions her at the intersection of technology and journalism, having grown up in Silicon Valley where she learned to code in elementary school and later worked at Hewlett-Packard's Demo Center. She holds a mathematics degree from the University of Chicago and completed a Knight-Bagehot Fellowship at Columbia Journalism School. Angwin's career spans major institutions in journalism, including The Wall Street Journal (2000-2013) and ProPublica (2014-2018), before founding The Markup in 2018. Her work consistently focuses on investigating and exposing how technology affects individuals and society at large.

Readers appreciate Angwin's ability to break down complex technical topics into understandable terms. On Goodreads, readers frequently note her thorough research and practical privacy protection advice in "Dragnet Nation." What readers liked: - Clear explanations of technical concepts - Personal anecdotes mixed with investigative reporting - Actionable privacy protection strategies - Detailed documentation and source citations What readers disliked: - Some found "Dragnet Nation" repetitive in later chapters - Technical details occasionally overwhelm narrative flow - Some privacy recommendations deemed impractical for average users - "Stealing MySpace" readers wanted more insider perspective Ratings across platforms: Dragnet Nation: - Goodreads: 3.8/5 (2,800+ ratings) - Amazon: 4.3/5 (200+ reviews) Stealing MySpace: - Goodreads: 3.5/5 (300+ ratings) - Amazon: 4.0/5 (40+ reviews) Notable reader comment: "She strikes the right balance between alerting readers to privacy threats while avoiding paranoia" - Amazon reviewer

Stealing MySpace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America (2009) A detailed account of MySpace's rise and fall, chronicling the power struggles between News Corporation and the social network's founders during its peak years.

Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security, and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance (2014) An investigative examination of digital surveillance in modern society, documenting the author's personal attempts to protect her privacy from both corporate and government tracking.

Shoshana Zuboff writes about surveillance capitalism and the commodification of personal data through technology. Her book "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" examines how tech companies monetize human behavior prediction, similar to Angwin's focus on digital privacy and corporate power.

Cathy O'Neil analyzes how algorithms and mathematical models can perpetuate discrimination and inequality. Her book "Weapons of Math Destruction" investigates algorithmic bias in ways that parallel Angwin's work on technological accountability.

Frank Pasquale explores the hidden power of algorithms and tech companies in modern society. His books "The Black Box Society" and "New Laws of Robotics" examine corporate control of information and automated decision-making systems, themes central to Angwin's investigations.

Virginia Eubanks investigates how digital tools and automated systems affect poor and working-class people. Her book "Automating Inequality" documents how high-tech tools profile and police vulnerable populations, complementing Angwin's work on algorithmic discrimination.

Bruce Schneier writes about cybersecurity, privacy, and trust in the digital age. His books "Data and Goliath" and "Click Here to Kill Everybody" examine surveillance and security issues that align with Angwin's focus on digital privacy rights.