// Comparison
À la trace vs RGPD et droit des données personnelles: Which Should You Read?
Two cybersecurity books on Privacy, compared honestly: who each is for, what each does best, and which to read first.
An investigative map of modern surveillance — from data brokers and facial recognition to contact-tracing — charting how continuous digital tracking became normal, by a French tech journalist.
A complete French manual on data-protection law under the GDPR and the 2018 loi Informatique et Libertés — obligations, rights and how to comply — by an engineer and doctor of law.
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Key takeaways
- A 2020 investigative cartography of the new surveillance — data brokers, facial recognition, tracing.
- Tesquet reports with specifics, making the abstract surveillance economy concrete.
- Read for the landscape and the cases; pair with Nitot/Untersinger for what to do about it.
- A clear, complete French manual on GDPR and data-protection law for non-lawyers.
- Mattatia is both an engineer and a doctor of law, so it bridges technical and legal worlds.
- Law evolves: use the most recent edition and verify against current CNIL guidance.
How they compare
We rate À la trace higher (4/5 against 3/5 for RGPD et droit des données personnelles). For most readers, that means À la trace is the primary pick and RGPD et droit des données personnelles is a useful follow-up.
À la trace is pitched at beginner level. RGPD et droit des données personnelles is pitched at intermediate level. Read the easier one first if you're not yet comfortable with the topic.
À la trace and RGPD et droit des données personnelles both cover Privacy, Policy, so reading them in sequence reinforces the same material from different angles.
Keep reading
RGPD et droit des données personnelles
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