20 September 2009

Module 1 - Topic 1


ONLINE PRIVACY AND SECURITY

The World Wide Web has provided us with myriad ways of finding information, communicating and collaborating, and many entertainment options. Social networks let you keep in contact with family and friends. But, it has also made it easy to give a lot of personal information out to the wide world, which, in personal circumstances, you would never give to ‘strangers’. Once you have published information on the web it can be found even after you have deleted it.

What kinds of personal information do people post online that can compromise their privacy?


  • Names

  • Addresses, including email addresses

  • Photos

  • Phone numbers

  • Names of schools, sport teams, clubs and other social groups

  • Personal details of family and friends

  • Passwords

Safeguarding your privacy

Before posting information, think about who can see the information – friends, family, colleagues, prospective employers, anyone with an Internet connection. Picture yourself shouting the information to a world wide audience while a recording is made for posterity!

Have a look at these resources:

Online privacy tips:

  • Be careful about what personal/private information you post online, including private information about your friends and family - ask their permission first.

  • Read the website private policies and statements before submitting personal information.

  • Use pseudonyms and 'disposable' email addresses for accounts where you don't want (or need) to give personal information.

  • Make sure you use secure web connections for sensitive transactions such as online purchases or online banking. A secure connection URL usually starts with https, or you could also see a 'lock' icon in the right bottom corner of your screen.

Password security

Passwords are the security gates to your accounts. There are different levels of security depending on the type of account you are operating. Some accounts don't require personal information - it is just for fun or convenience - therefore you would not need a high level of security. A password that is easy to remember is suited to this type of account.

Other accounts which contain personal identification, financial transactions and personal whereabouts need a high level of security. Protection is necessary to prevent identity theft, financial fraud and cyber stalking.

The key to secure accounts are strong passwords and never giving out your passwords to anyone. General advice for creating strong passwords include:

  • Use a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters, at least 8 digits long to create strong (more secure) passwords – a good practice as encouraged by our City Council.

  • Do not leave your passwords lying around.

  • Change passwords regularly, especially on critical accounts.

  • You could use a secure password storage service, so only you can access them with a master password, e.g. Keepass

  • You could also use a password generator

(If the Comments section below is not open .... click on the link to find participants' comments which could be helpful for this topic.)

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*** EXERCISES ***

*** FURTHER READING *** - optional

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8 comments:

  1. TIP: If videos are slow to download:
    Open it up in a separate window (right click on the link and choose "Open in New Window"), start the video and minimise the screen so that the video can download completely. Once completely downloaded you can go and play it through.

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  2. Thanks for directing us to the McAfee and Netsafe sites - excellent sites and will be really useful to refer parents to and for children who might be doing assignments on this sort of thing.

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  3. I recently attended a presentation by Lee Chisholm from Netsafe --geared towards educating our youth and found it both interesting and informative. So if you get the opportunity to attend I think it would be worthwhile

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  4. The topic of security is often questioned by library patrons who are not keen to even put a pin number to their card. So showing them that its an encripted number does seem to ease their fears. The reality is that giving yet another pin number to a total stranger is not reassuring of security.

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  5. We no longer give patrons a pin number. We encourage patrons to set their own pin/password on the OPAC – to suit their preferred method of keeping their pins/ passwords secure. Stitched makes a good point in suggesting that we show the encrypted number to library patrons if they are concerned about security.

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  6. This is a good, easy to read article from The New York Times - 5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe and Private on Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/pqadzj

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  7. Here is an article on gmail security tips published on the gmail blog: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/gmail-account-security-tips.html

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  8. Here is a good description of what exactly phishing is. Although it is a bit old it still gives basic information: All About Phishing - http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2005/phishing.asp

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