Mar 7th, 2020 - Category: Miscellaneous
Coronavirus, climate change, contradictory diet advice, politics, social media, fake news, etc. There are so many “crisis” vying for attention these days that on-line privacy falls into the category as those “extra credit” books that nobody ever got around to reading in school. 
However with so much of our lives involving on-line activities, it pays to at least be aware of the issues involved especially in an election year. One of the biggest tech publications, The Verge, has even created a central place to learn about the main tech policy issues focusing on free-speech, data usage and privacy, corporate behavior, and climate change.
Also, here is a short list of “extra credit reading” that I found fascinating:
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Behind the One-Way Mirror: A Deep Dive Into the Technology of Corporate Surveillance” - A long-read four part article that is broken down into the technology behind the “trackers” that link on-line behavioral data to real people, techniques used to collect those identifiers, how different companies share information with each other, and actions we can take to fight back.
- Vox’s video explanation of “How ads follow you around the internet” - If you think Alexa is listening, this is the video to watch.
- The search engine “Duck, Duck, Go’s” (Google alternative) rebuttal to the common sentiment “I’ve got nothing to hide argument.”
- The email provider “Fastmail’s” (Gmail alternative) guide to “Helping your friends and family protect their privacy.” - The shortest guide I’ve come across, only five suggestions!
- ProtonMail’s more detailed analysis of “The privacy risks of the Internet of Things.” - Amazon “Ring Cam Doorbells” that report to police, security cameras that spy on users, and smart lighting systems giving up personal data are all potential privacy risks.
Finally it’s impossible to talk about privacy without talking about security. The Verge thinks security and encryption are so important that it is one of the four areas they are covering, but the major smartphone manufacturers also realize that without strong security, smartphones are attractive targets for hackers. Apple’s “Platform Security” document is the most readable and worth reading to understand the careful thinking behind some common iPhone annoyances like “Why does the darn thing ask for my passcode so often?!” This document explains the rules behind this. For example, “the user hasn’t used their face / fingerprint to unlock their device in 4 hours.” Good security is a basic requirement if privacy is to be maintained.
So remember, wash your hands regularly to this catchy tune from Vietnam, don’t touch your face, and do a little “extra credit reading” from time to time to keep up on best practices for privacy and security!