Lorrie Faith Cranor’s latest effort to educate people about privacy is a short, colorfully illustrated book written for an audience who probably can’t read it yet.
Cranor, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and director of the Pittsburgh school’s CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory, wrote Privacy, Please! after publishing more than 200 research papers, spending a 2016–2017 stint as the Federal Trade Commission’s chief technologist, and making a quilt and dress illustrated with commonly used weak passwords.
In a Zoom video call, Cranor says she got the idea for this self-published children’s book when planning for a privacy-outreach event at a local library and getting input from the librarians there revealed an unmet need for one. “I asked them for their recommendations, and they didn’t know of any children’s books about privacy,” she recounts. “And you know, there really isn’t much out there.”
Especially for a younger audience. The Eyemonger, a frequently recommended kid’s book by George Washington University Law School professor Daniel J. Solove published in 2020, is aimed at readers ages 6 to 9. “Then I started thinking about, well, what would I want in a book for preschool kids about privacy?” Cranor says.
The answer: 25 pages of her words and artwork by illustrator Alena Karabach, in which our nameless protagonist, often accompanied by a pet dog, turtle, and goldfish, explains basic concepts of privacy.
• “Sometimes I want to be alone. I don’t want anyone to see me, hear me, or come too close. This is called privacy.”
• “Sometimes I listen to music on my headphones so that only I can hear.”
PITTSBURGH, January 4, 2026 — A new children’s book tackles a surprisingly complex topic: privacy. Privacy, Please!, written by Carnegie Mellon University professor Lorrie Faith Cranor, is aimed at readers who are likely too young to actually read it—preschoolers, to be exact.
Teaching Tiny Humans About a Big Concept
Privacy, Please! isn’t a response to a specific data breach or legislative push. Instead, it grew from a practical need Cranor discovered while volunteering at a local library. “I asked them for their recommendations, and they didn’t know of any children’s books about privacy,” Cranor explained in a recent video call. “And you know, there really isn’t much out there.”
Cranor, who also directs the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon, isn’t new to the world of privacy education. She’s published over 200 research papers on the subject, served as the Federal Trade Commission’s chief technologist from 2016 to 2017, and even created art installations—a quilt and a dress—emblazoned with commonly used, and easily hacked, passwords. But this book represents a new approach: starting the conversation about digital safety at the earliest possible age.
What exactly *is* privacy? The book defines it simply: “Sometimes I want to be alone. I don’t want anyone to see me, hear me, or come too close. This is called privacy.”
While other children’s books address privacy, like Daniel J. Solove’s 2020 publication, The Eyemonger, geared toward readers ages 6 to 9, Cranor felt a gap existed for even younger children. Her book, illustrated by Alena Karabach, uses relatable scenarios—listening to music with headphones, wanting quiet time—to introduce the concept.
Why Start So Young?
The impulse to teach children about privacy isn’t about preparing them for the intricacies of data security, Cranor suggests. It’s about establishing a fundamental understanding of personal boundaries and control. The book’s simple language and charming illustrations aim to normalize the idea that everyone deserves—and needs—space and autonomy.
- Privacy, Please! is a children’s book designed for preschool-aged children.
- The book grew out of a need identified by librarians for age-appropriate privacy education materials.
- Author Lorrie Faith Cranor has a long history of work in privacy research and advocacy.
- The book focuses on establishing basic concepts of personal space and boundaries.
