Privacy News for September 3, 2021

September 3, 2021 By Eric Stroshane 1 Comment

Privacy During the Pandemic

AI, employee privacy and COVID-19 | Business World

Students’ and Minors’ Privacy

Why college students need to use a VPN — and how to pick the right one | USA Today

Government Surveillance

The future of American democracy hinges on ethical AI | Venture Beat
The US Army is using a controversial facial-recognition technology that uses images from social media to identify people, documents show | Business Insider
The Surveillance State That the U.S. Left Behind in Afghanistan | New Republic
- This is the real story of the Afghan biometric databases abandoned to the Taliban | MIT Technology Review
- The Taliban Reportedly Have Control of US Biometric Devices — a Lesson in Life-and-Death Consequences of Data Privacy | Nextgov
An Explosion in Geofence Warrants Threatens Privacy Across the US | WIRED

Surveillance Capitalism

A Technical Explainer on Apple’s Concerning Privacy Changes | New America
- Normalizing Surveillance | Lawfare
FTC bars alleged ‘stalkerware’ company and its CEO from the surveillance business | CNBC

Biometric Privacy

Ten Agencies Plan to Increase Use of Facial Recognition Technology | Homeland Security Today
- The government is going to use facial recognition more. That’s bad. | Popular Science
GAO Finds Broad Support for Facial Recognition and Clearview AI Among Federal Agencies | FindBiometrics
Army Wants to Install Facial Recognition, Video Analytics at Child Development Centers | Nextgov
Police In At Least 24 Countries Have Used Clearview AI. Find Out Which Ones Here. | BuzzFeed News
Victory! Lawsuit Proceeds Against Clearview’s Face Surveillance | EFF

Laws, Regulations, and Legislation

Data privacy laws in the US protect profit but prevent sharing data for public good – people want the opposite | The Conversation

Encryption

LockFile Ransomware Uses Never-Before Seen Encryption to Avoid Detection | ThreatPost
Logitech’s Bolt USB dongle bolsters encryption for its new wireless mice and keyboards | The Verge
U.S. National Security Agency Issues Update on Crypto-Resistant Encryption | Tom’s Hardware

This Week in Data Breaches and Leaks

T-Mobile CEO calls latest data breach ‘humbling,’ claims it’s committed to security | The Verge
- T-Mobile hack: Here’s what we know about the massive data breach | CNET
DuPage Medical Group notifying 600,000 patients about a data breach | Chicago Sun-Times

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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.