Wednesday Tech Tips: 50 Best Websites from TIME

I had myself a good time yesterday checking out TIME Magazine's 50 favorites sites of 2013.  (I know, the year isn't even half over but go figure.)

Among my favorites was My Permissions, which touches on a subject we've talked about a lot in the WTT: your online privacy.  This humble little site keeps track of the sites and services that require you to click some version of a "I Agree with These Terms and Conditions" button.  My Permissions gives you the breakdown of what exactly you're allowing companies to do with your information, updates you on any changes in policy, and helps you take back control if necessary.

If you've ever decided to delete your Facebook account, you know that it is not as easy as setting up that account in the first place.  That's 'cause businesses don't want to let you go, and they DEFINITELY don't want to let your data go.  So thanks, My Permissions, for letting us know when our info is being passed around.

Another nifty site from TIME's list is TWiT (This Week in Tech) where you can get schooled by folks far more tech-savvy than me.

Finally, I would be a bad librarian if I didn't mention Digital Public Library of America, collecting and digitizing books, images, historic records, and audiovisual materials from libraries, universities, and museums so that everyone can access it! 

Turning this:

Raiders of the Lost Ark. Paramount Pictures 1981.

Into this:

And you know where it all started?  Right here in Cambridge, MA y'all.  Because if there is knowledge we are all up in it.

Wednesday Tech Tips: Don't Store Porn in the Cloud

Whoa! Got your attention, didn't I?

For reals, though, this article about a church deacon who was busted by Verizon for storing child pornography in the cloud brings up an important addendum to the earlier post about cloud storage.  Namely, that perhaps there are things it would be unwise to keep there.

(Of course, you can't keep child pornography anywhere because it is ILLEGAL.  Just so we're clear.)



I'm admit that I do not know how safe your data is out in the cloud.  I've been looking at some of the reader comments on this article and many people pointed out that it is worrisome to think that Verizon could be looking at your personal stuff.  But it is also pretty unlikely that individual eyeballs would be sifting through your files -- needle in a haystack anyone? -- I'm guessing there is some sort of algorithm in play for targeting known illegal image files.

The conclusion folks seemed to draw was: if it's way personal, don't keep it online.  Or else learn encryption.  I would love to write a post about that if anyone wants to chime in with zee knowledge.

*****

In my hunt for WTT topics, I have enjoyed visiting websites that I never looked at before; I hope y'all give them a try too.  The comments on the ars technica article mentioned above seem to come from smart people who are thinking through the ramifications and solutions to the issue of privacy vs. criminal activity on the Net, and I found them very interesting.

Wednesday Tech Tips: Privacy & You

Hello my online friends!  Today's post is more of a "hey, whaddayaknow" on my part, but if anyone out there wants to chime in with helpful information Please Do So.

Not everything is free in this world, and when you sign up for Internet services they are collecting data about you.  Fair enough in some instances -- that is how marketing gets done.  But what else happens with that information?  The Wall Street Journal tested sites to see which ones share your personal data; you can read those results here.

Then read Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.  Not only will it blow your mind as an examination of national security versus civil liberties, but it's full of information on how you can wiggle around this stuff.  At it's most benign, getting stalked and having ads pop up at you left and right is just annoying.  At worst, there's a trail of information about how you use the Internet that is no one's business but your own.