Tag Archives: Privacy

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Online Privacy Protection

Image by The Italian Voice. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by The Italian Voice. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

In a world that is increasing dependent on cloud technology, privacy concerns will never be too far behind. Many patrons rely on libraries as their main resource to acquire software and web access. As a result, the  task of protecting privacy defaults, to some extent, to the providers. Libraries are important stakeholders in these conversations.

In the article, Libraries & Privacy in the Internet Age (2013), Eric Phetteplace stated, “Privacy almost always involves some kind of trade-off, for users and for libraries. We need to ensure we’re making the right trade-offs with due diligence.” Phetteplace noted that an important key is to isolate user sessions by supervising access. More proactive approaches to prevention include modifying browsers and educating the public about why their privacy matters.  Click here to learn more about online privacy for your library.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Paying for “Free” Cloud Services

Like many, I have to admit that I’m often attracted to “free” cloud services, programs, and software. Who wouldn’t want to save money where they can – especially when the service offered seems virtually the same as what others are paying their hard earned money for. Well, like everything in this world, there always seems to be a trade-off, doesn’t there?

The Journal’s 12/4/12 article The Price of Free Cloud Resources, highlights the positives and negatives of free cloud resources. There are so many cloud-based resources that either are entirely free, or are free but offer a less-robust version of a for-fee resource. Either way, free resources are tempting, both to the average user as well as to libraries, media centers, and schools. Who wouldn’t want to save money where they can, especially now, when many budgets are so dramatically reduced? Additionally, many cloud-based resources are cutting-edge, new, exciting, and flexible! It’s hard not to be attracted and drawn to that.

But with free, comes a catch… For cloud-based resources the catch or the “payment” for the service is often privacy and personal data. According to Jim Siegl, Chair of the Consortium of School Networking, “Data is the most common (yet invisible) fee extracted from users by companies that make search engines, e-mail, and other cloud computing resources accessible to schools.” As schools (or individuals) enter into agreements with a cloud-based resource, they may be required to sign and agree to a contract. It is crucial that the person reading and signing that contract understands the language and the agreement they’re entering into — and what it means to their school and their students (or patrons in the case of a library). However, because cloud computing is fairly new, Siegl believes that federal regulations are about twelve years behind in responding to cloud computing and related privacy concerns. privacy2So what are schools and individuals to do? Read! And read carefully! Understand what you’re reading, ask questions if need be. Research it! (This could be a natural fit for librarians….). In schools and at libraries, individuals responsible for technology services need to carefully analyze the agreements they’re entering into. Additionally, technology specialists (or those that sign the agreements) should consider providing opportunities to inform other parties at their school or library about the privacy issues, and about the data that is being collected. For students, it’s important to remind them that what they do on the internet is not private. And that everything they do leaves a digital footprint, and can be tracked back to them.

Additionally, it’s important to know that even some for-fee resources gather data… Again, contracts must be carefully reviewed and privacy should always be of utmost concern. There will always be trade-offs, but we have to be certain the trade-off is truly worth it, and that the cloud-based service meets our basic privacy requirements (whatever they may be depending upon your library, your school, or your personal wishes).

Interested in reading more on this important topic? Checkout the following links to get started…

Cyber Security for the Digital District from the Consortium for School Networking: Tools and Resources

Privacy Technical Assistance Center: Frequently Asked Questions – Cloud Computing

Scholastic Article: Demystifying Cloud

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Google +1

Yesterday, Google took one more step into the social network world. On March 30th, Google launched their new Google +1 service. Google explains “The +1 button is shorthand for “this is pretty cool” or “you should check this out.” Click +1 to publicly give something your stamp of approval. Your +1’s can help friends, contacts, and others on the web find the best stuff when they search.” Industry experts indicate that Google +1 acts much like the “like” button on Facebook. Click the +1 button, to indicate you recommend or like something, and your friends who have also activated this service will see your recommendations in their Google search results  – and vice versa (assuming your +1’s aren’t private!).

Visit http://www.google.com/+1/button/ to learn more about the service direct from Google, or get InformationWeek’s take on the new Google feature here.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/striatic/2135057566/ by striatic

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Falling Out of Love with Facebook?

If so, you’re not alone! In fact, you’re in good company; an informal Sophos poll found that around 60 percent of Facebook users are tossing around the idea of quitting Facebook entirely. Additionally, Google reports that more people than ever are searching for information on how to delete their Facebook account. There is even a group of about 11,000+ people that have committed to calling it quits with Facebook on May 31st — a clear sign to Facebook that users are not happy with recent changes to their Facebook accounts.

So… what exactly is going on? What’s got people so fired up about Facebook? The interactive visual provided here, titled The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook, should be a good launching point for those that aren’t familiar with the concerns surrounding this issue.

Mainly, the concern is that personal information is becoming increasingly available and accessible to others without the user’s consent. Each time Facebook changes its security and privacy restrictions the user has to be aware that this is happening, and “opt-out” to protect themselves from their information being leaked. This essentially requires users to frequently visit and update their security preferences (which can be a complicated task!).  Even more importantly, it requires users to be aware of Facebook news and updates.

Many believe that Facebook is releasing more and more if its user’s data for monetary gain. A Washington Post article, from May 20th, cited a recent concern that Facebook supplied User IDs of people who had clicked on an advertisement to the advertisers themselves. Facebook, on the other hand, claims that its most recent changes are due to the desire to connect their users with more information, and specifically, to tailor information to the user’s preferences. Additionally, Facebook’s Head of Public Policy, Tim Sparapini, recently indicated that Facebook plans to unroll much simpler privacy settings.

Thinking about deleting your Facebook account? Use this article, titled Deleting Your Facebook Account (FAQ), from CNet to explore the situation in more detail and make some informed decisions. Perhaps most importantly, if you use your Facebook account to connect with colleagues or library patrons, ask yourself what’s next? What are some tools you can use to maintain your Facebook connections?

Of course, the less extreme option is to carefully control and maintain your privacy settings. This guide should help!