<i>The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy</i> by Ignacio Cofone

‘‘Our privacy is besieged by tech companies,”1 laments Ignacio Cofone, Law Professor and privacy aficionado, in The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy. In an enlightening yet harrowing discourse, Cofone draws on insights from behavioural science, sociology, and economics2 to argue that the widespread consent-based model of privacy is not only outdated, but untenable given modern data practices.3 Further, Cofone acknowledges the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in data processing, leading to novel challenges for the safeguarding of personal information.4 Thus, The Privacy Fallacy is more than just about privacy law’s shortcomings; it also raises questions about privacy in a world of rapidly evolving data practices stemming from advancements in AI. This book review builds on the discussion of AI in The Privacy Fallacy, drawing on Cofone’s insights as well contemporary AI scholarship, to advance two foundational arguments about navigating the artificially intelligent world of the near future.