Privacy Pandemic

How Cybercriminals Determine Targets, Attack Identities, and Violate Privacy—and How Consumers, Companies, and Policy-Makers Can Fight Back

After mounting red flags caused him to end a relationship, Chris soon found his digital life under attack: his accounts were compromised, emails and texts were intercepted, Social Security number was stolen—they even hacked his mother’s home WiFi router. 

Chris would soon learn cybercriminals had targeted him in one of the most extensive, twisted cases of digital identity theft known by experts. But unfortunately, he also discovered that he’s not alone but rather is another casualty in an Information Age plague that threatens the finances and digital safety of individuals, companies, and governments worldwide.

Privacy Pandemic is the story of Chris’s fight against the fraudsters who tried to steal his life—and who continue to attack him to this day.

Once he recovered from the shock and betrayal, he vowed to bring his attackers to justice and assembled a team of experts in the US and abroad—attorneys, digital forensics specialists, and law enforcement agents—and began relentlessly building an active case. 

But this is about more than Chris’s storyIt’s about everyone’s story.

As Chris discovered when he tried to hold his attackers accountable, keeping vital personal information safe in the digital age is incredibly difficult. 

Privacy Pandemic is not only a firsthand account of what happens when one is targeted by sophisticated cybercriminals—it’s also a guide for readers on how to stay safe in a dangerous digital world. Chris details the companies, software, tools, and practices that give us all the best chance of preventing security breaches and their disastrous consequences. 

He shares how he’s turned personal loss and hardship into professional triumph, ensuring that the power to protect personal information as much as possible is where it belongs: in the hands of consumers.

$30.00
ISBN: 978-1-64543-393-4
SKU: 08-669-01
Categories:Memorable Biographies and Memoirs, Amplify Publishing, Industries, Technology, Memoirs and Biographies, Memoirs and Biographies

“Bolstered by his personal experience with digital identity theft, Chris Smith brings together some of the most renowned experts in Privacy Pandemic, a game-changing book in the field of digital security.”—BILL RADUCHEL, tech pioneer, former CTO of AOL, and author of The New Technology State

“In an age where so much of who we are exists online—from personal profiles to business-consumer transactions to interpersonal correspondence—it’s all the more important for each of us to not only know how to proactively protect ourselves, but how to react if (and in many cases, when) our personal information is breached. Enter Privacy Pandemic, a must-read book for anyone looking to better arm themselves against the dangers of an ever-evolving cyberworld.”—TOM KEMP, cybersecurity expert and co-founder of Centrify

“In Privacy Pandemic, Chris Smith fearlessly reflects on his own unbelievable story while laying bare the necessary steps we all must take to become a safer digital community. This is an urgent and timely book that sheds important insight on how to prevent some of the most prolific crimes of our time.”—JOSH LINKNER, five-time tech entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and venture capitalist

Christopher A. Smith

Digital Identity, Privacy, and Security Expert

christopherasmith.com

A tech-savvy strategist in digital media and emerging technologies, Christopher A. Smith has garnered an unparalleled reputation for building, launching, and redeveloping highly successful companies with records that consistently reflect double-digit growth. His expertise includes creating strategic global partnerships, defining go-to-market strategies, galvanizing sales, spurring product development, and leading global teams within both start-ups and global organizations. 

While he was an executive at a cryptocurrency firm, Chris became the target of significant and life-altering digital identity theft. Fueled by this experience, Chris founded DFend, a next-generation security service for developers, enterprise security professionals, and consumers to protect their digital assets and identities. Chris’s passion and purpose are to make the digital world a safer place, reducing others’ risk of becoming victims of similar crimes. This is his driving force when defending companies and consumers with disruptive technology. Chris was born and raised in San Mateo, California, and resides in New York City. Privacy Pandemic is his first book.