What Stays in Vegas: The World of Personal Data-Lifeblood of Big Business-and the End of Privacy as We Know It Hardcover – September 2, 2014

Tanner's book is no theoretical text or manifesto. It's a practical, balanced guide on the increasingly important issue of data privacy, something that I've touched on in my own work. Tanner dispels the myth that privacy is a binary and rightfully calls out companies that obfuscate, primarily through byzantine end-user agreements.

"What Stays in Vegas" is a good read about the collection and use of personal data. The main thread of Adam Tanner's book is the well-known tale of Gary Loveman's unlikely ascendancy to the top of the pile at what was then Harrah's (now Caesars). Tanner got access to Loveman and his top ring of executives and makes good use of it. He details in clear, rich detail how Caesars compiles information on its customers, how it crafts offers and how uses that data/offer mix to attempt to optimize profit. As Taner notes, "The best businesses give consumers a choice whether or not to share their data, and offer benefits in return. The trick for executives is to strike the right balance when offering incentives."Should we be put off by the fact that Caesars ultimately filed for bankruptcy? I say "no." That outcome was more a reflection of peak-LBO overreach by owners Apollo and TPG rather than any failings by the Loveman team. The level of debt service required post buyout just never made a lot of sense. And, any proposed trajectory to profitability were supremely and fully wrecked by global financial crisis of 2008/09.Other standout parts of the book are the passages concerning the various businesses that have sprung up around collecting and using personal information. I especially liked Tanner's reporting on Busted Mugshots, whose aggressive business model centers around collecting and posting jail photos, then removing them for a fee. Though clearly demonstrating a distaste for the practice, Tanner credits Busted for "becoming a leader in a field where the major players typically stay hidden, their stories unknown...[founder Kyle] Prall at least had the courage to tell his story in depth and in plain sight, unlike most of the others who traffic in damaging personal data." Indeed, Tanner's pages spent with Prall make for fascinating reading.

Ehhhhh... As someone who works in industry this is not very informative ... frankly as someone who is an Internet consumer and realizes usage data is tracked there is nothing new or groundbreaking in this book. While the casino industry is cool to learn about and this does give somewhat of an insiders look to certain aspects it does not offer much else. It is well written however.

Tanner writes a thoroughly researched work that touches on a wide range of data gathering and privacy issues in a surprisingly fun and engaging manner. I particularly enjoyed his newspaper journalist investigative style and willingness to aggressively reach out and ask tough questions that were both illuminating and entertaining. I confess that despite having a great interest in this subject, I expected the exposition to be extraordinarily dry and painful. To my delight, it was so good that after reading the first quarter of it for free as a kindle book borrowed from the library, I decided to purchase it and recommend it to a colleague, who also loved it!

Too wordy, too much dialog. It gets is message across in one paragraph. The remaining hundereds of pages are a waste of time.

Topical. Well-researched. Some interesting and instructive observations on how "big data" is collected and used, both by company's we grant our permission to, as well as those we don't - or perhaps don't know we are. Some maybe not-so-obvious "problems" with all the collection, and concerns about whether it's all accurate and in context - and challenges getting it corrected when it's not. Couple chapters do kinda' run a little long and a couple points leave have you wondering how they're connected when you read, but it's all summarized and pulled-together well. Even if you are aware of all these things and none leave you surprised that this type of thing is happening, when you put it all together like this and see its' connectedness and scope, it leaves you pondering and maybe a bit disconcerted about how hard it is to keep prying eyes and marketers outta' your personal business.

Okay . Interesting but not great.

So boring, this is like a beach read and/or if you are fairly naive or ignorant about data and privacy as a concept.

I found this to be a most enlightening book and rather terrifying. In the digital day of the 21st Century, we have so little privacy and created a minefield for our lives. It is very well written.