Privacy News for April 17

April 22, 2020 April 17, 2020 By Eric Stroshane 1 Comment

Privacy During the Pandemic

How Coronavirus is Eroding Privacy | The Wall Street Journal

The Tech ‘Solutions’ for Coronavirus Take the Surveillance State to the Next Level | The Guardian

Coronavirus Tracing Tech Policy ‘More Significant’ than the War on Encryption | ZDNet

Pandemic Data-Sharing Puts New Pressure on Privacy Protections | Bloomberg News

Surveillance Won’t Stop the Coronavirus | The New York Times

Be Very Wary of Trump’s Health Surveillance Plans | The Washington Post

Most Americans don’t think cellphone tracking will help limit COVID-19, are divided on whether it’s acceptable | Pew Research Center

Apple and Google’s Coronavirus App is a ‘Global Mass Surveillance Tool’ | Decrypt

U.S. senator says Apple, Google need to show contact tracing will not violate privacy | Reuters

Apple-Google Virus Tracking Plan Carries Data Security Risks | Bloomberg Law

The Cybersecurity 202: Privacy Experts Fear a Boom in Coronavirus Surveillance | The Washington Post

An Unprecedented Plan to Reopen Connecticut after Coronavirus could Include Surveillance, Confinement and Extensive Testing, but it Raises Questions about Privacy Rights | Hartford Courant

UK Government Using Confidential Patient Data in Coronavirus Response | The Guardian

China Rolls out Software Surveillance for the COVID-19 Pandemic, Alarming Human Rights Advocates | ABC News

Israeli Police use Drones to Enforce Virus Quarantines, Raising Privacy Concerns | The Times of Israel

Moscow’s Lockdown Permit System Fuels Surveillance Fears | Reuters

To Zoom or Not to Zoom | Choose Privacy Everyday

Coronavirus Surveillance Is Entering Dystopian Territory | Vanity Fair

Government Surveillance

Lawmakers Worry Jared Kushner is Working on a Privacy Destroying “Surveillance System” | Mother Jones

Judge Blocks Test of Baltimore Crime Surveillance Planes | The Crime Report

Everyday Surveillance

Federal Appeals Court Allows Facebook Privacy Lawsuit to Proceed | Jurist

Broadband Industry Presses Judge To Scrap Maine Privacy Law | Digital Privacy Perspectives

Student Privacy

Will the Pandemic Usher in an Era of Mass Surveillance in Higher Education? | Chronicle of Higher Education

COVID-19 and children’s digital privacy | UNICEF

This Week in Data Breaches and Leaks

PII of 115 Million Pakistani Mobile Users up for Sale on Dark Web | CISO Magazine

Canadian Passengers from Virus-Stricken Zaandam Cruise Ship Hit by Federal Gov’t Privacy Breach | CBC

Privacy Tools and Techniques

How to Protect your Zoom Account from Recent Data Breaches | LifeHacker

Thought Pieces

The Weaponization of Dogs on the Internet | Lawfare

Filed Under: News and Updates Tagged With: COVID-19

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Guidelines for Private Online Searching & Browsing Julie Oborny
There are few options for searching without being tracked. To search anonymously from home requires tech-savvy and money. This is something many people do not have. Libraries should help any user access information anonymously. Guidelines A group of library privacy experts created the following guidelines. Use them to bolster your efforts. Starting a Computer or Wi-Fi Session Offer Guest User Options: Allow users to log in to public computers and Wi-Fi without using their personal library card. This can be facilitated through the use of guest passes. Do not require identification or keep logs of users who check out a guest pass or sign in as a guest. Avoid Paper Sign-up Sheets: Do NOT have paper sign-up sheets for the computers. If there is no other option, practice the following: Staff should always be in control of these paper sign-up sheets Only require the minimum amount of data needed for reserving a computer. Shred paper sheets at the end of the day. Filtering Software No Logging: Filtering software should not log user activity. Ensure and verify that this is not happening on filtered computers. Guest Passes: If disabling logging is not possible, offer a guest pass at no charge. Age Data: Do not capture proof of age when removing filters. Just verify. Erasing Computer Sessions Public Computers: Set public computers to load a fresh computer image after each user session. Software example: Deep Freeze. End sessions automatically if the user forgets to log out at the end of a session. Circulated/Loaned Devices: Reset or reimage borrowed devices at point of check-in. Examples of devices: laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices. Session Logs: Do not store logs of users’ computer or Wi-Fi sessions for longer than 24 hours. Delete computer reservation and Wi-Fi session logs that contain personal information. Include this practice as a closing activity. Do not collect information about user activity during a public computer or Wi-Fi session. Activity examples: applications used and web browser activity. Printers: Clear the print queue for the print management system daily. Physical Protections Physical Space: Arrange the physical library space for privacy. People should be able to use personal technology without observation. If security cameras are required inside the buildings, optimize for privacy. Check to make sure they are not pointed toward screens or other places where they may record library use. Privacy Screens: Provide easily accessible privacy screens. These screens should be available for any user who needs one. If possible, install privacy screens on all public computers. Shredding: Shred print-outs left at the printer. Provide access to shredders for users. Browsers & Search Tools Default Search: Set DuckDuckGo as the default search for all browsers. Default Browsers: Set the default browser on computers to Brave or Firefox. Anonymous Search with Tor: Install the Tor browser on all public access computers. Provide guides for users about how to use Tor for anonymous searching. Training For Users Guides: Provide guides to users who wish to remain anonymous online. Examples: Personal Accounts: Do not log in to any personal accounts during the entire session. Examples: Google Amazon Facebook Learning Management Systems Private vs. Public: Treat school or work cloud-document services as public record. Don’t use these services to keep track of sensitive information. Search Tools: Use a privacy-focused search engine, such as DuckDuckGo. Mobile Browsers: Download privacy-focused browsers on mobile devices. Examples: Firefox Focus Brave Tor DuckDuckGo Tech Help: Assist users in installing encrypted messaging apps, such as Signal. Programs: Device Settings: Teach users how to turn off the following on their devices: Personalized advertising or ad tracking (iOS and Android) Location sharing Unused and unnecessary app permissions VPNs: Teach users about virtual private networks (VPNs): How to pick one. Refer to https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/choosing-vpn-thats-right-you How to install one. This depends on the VPN. How to use one. This depends on the VPN. Attendance: Allow people to attend these training programs anonymously. Alternatives: Provide digital and physical resources for those who are unable or unwilling to attend in person. Example: https://sec.eff.org/ For Staff New Hires: Include privacy training as part of new-hire onboarding. Ongoing: Have regular privacy training for library workers. State Laws: Review state laws on confidentiality of library use data. Do this with all library workers. Communication: Share updates on changes in privacy issues. Do this especially for state and national laws.
Data Privacy Week – January 24-28, 2022 Stacy Tomaszewski
This year, the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA) has expanded its Data Privacy Day to a week! Data Privacy Day started in 2008 as a North American complement to Data Protection Day in Europe. The purpose of Data Privacy Week is to help “spread awareness about online privacy and [educate] citizens on how to manage their personal information and keep it secure” and to “ [encourage] businesses to respect data and be more transparent about how they collect and use customer data.”
Book review of ‘Cyber Privacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care’ Virginia Dressler
“Data, I’ve found, is becoming like the weather; it’s something that almost anyone can talk about.” Cyber Privacy by April Falcon Doss is a timely title on so many key issues around data privacy in the online world– And Doss is well-positioned to write on this topic, with her thirteen years working at the NSA and later working in a private sector practice focusing on cyber-security and privacy issues. I found this title to be a thoughtful and well-written perspective, primarily centered on the U.S.