Breaking Away: How to Regain Control Over Our Data, Privacy, and Autonomy (Oxford University Press 2022)
​A handful of technology companies now know more about us than we know about ourselves.
They use that knowledge not just to predict our behavior — but to shape it. Breaking Away asks a question most privacy and competition advocates have avoided: what if the standard remedies — more competition, data ownership rights, GDPR-style regulation — are not just insufficient, but actually make things worse?​
Drawing on competition law, behavioral economics, and privacy policy, Professor Stucke identifies the fundamental shortcomings in each of the proposed solutions, exposes the growing divide between privacy and competition policy, and charts a more durable path forward — one that addresses the toxic dynamics of behavioral advertising and restores meaningful autonomy to individuals in the digital economy.​
"Stucke methodically exposes the anti-competitive practices of data-opolies, the failures of current legal regimes, and the fallacy of both competition-based and privacy-based solutions. A valuable read not only for scholars, lawyers, consumer groups and policymakers, but also anyone interested in how their data are being used and what can be done about it." — Shania Ann Kirk, European Journal of Risk Regulation
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Named a Notable Privacy Book by TeachPrivacy | Selected among notable privacy books of the last six decades by Daniel Solove
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TESTIMONIALS
Notable Privacy and Security Books 2022 -- TeachPrivacy
Overall, the arguments in the book are clear, well-evidenced and indicative of the author’s distinguished career as a scholar, lawyer and legal advisor.
Stucke methodically exposes the anti-competitive practices of data-opolies, the failures of current legal regimes in various jurisdictions and the fallacy of both competition-based and privacy-based solutions, which often overlook the realities of how digital platforms function, the interdependency of users’ data and the extent to which these platforms are already integrated into our lives.
Stucke uses concise language and useful examples to make specialised concepts (mainly from competition law and economic theory) easily comprehensible to readers who are unfamiliar with either or both fields.
This makes Breaking Away a valuable read not only for scholars, lawyers, consumer groups and policymakers, but also anyone interested in how their data are being used and what can be done about it.
Shania Ann Kirk, European Journal of Risk Regulation