Quick Links: Cool Tools | Blogs, Conferences & Research | Twitter People to Follow | Resources for Parents & Kids
Cool tools, apps & extensions for privacy
- Tor is an “anonymous” web browser…it’s had its share of problems (e.g., the government having CMU attack it) but is more anonymous than most. Quick overview on how Tor works:YouTube.
- Password Managers to keep track of all your passwords, generate random passwords. Keepass, Lastpass, 1Password are the most popular. You might also check out
- Encrypted IM: Adium is best for this (you have to enable OTR; here’s how to do it).
- Encrypted text messaging: Signal is best, Apple’s Messages is also an easy option when communicating with other iMessage users.
- Encrypted Email: ProtonMail is the best you’ll get, but end-to-end encryption is only guaranteed for emails between Proton accounts.
- Encrypted calls and text messages. Signal from Whisper Systems has an amazing and easy-to-use app for iOS and Android. Note that Signal isn’t anonymous because you have to link your phone number to it.
- Disk Encryption options: Veracrypt for Windows, Filevault for Mac.
- Terms of Service; Didn’t Read (TOS; DR) extension: For Firefox and Chrome. “Terms of service are often too long to read, but it’s important to understand what’s in them. Your rights online depend on them. We hope that our ratings can help you get informed about your rights.”
- From the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF): HTTPS Everywhere extension and Privacy Badger, which blocks ads/trackers.
- Privacy Fix extension to manage your social media privacy settings in a single space.
- Adblocker (Ad Block Plus) prevents some web tracking and blocks many ads from popping up as you surf the Web. Note: There are a lot of critics of Ad Block Plus because the company allows groups to pay to bypass the block.
- Click&Clean is a Chrome extension and Firefox add-on that deletes your URLs, cache, cookies, and download/browsing history with one button.
- Eraser is a Windows-based security tool that “allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected pattern.”
- Ghostery is a Chrome extension and mobile app designed to give companies and consumers businesses more control over how they’re tracked on the Web.
Blogs, Conferences & Research
- Symposium On Usable Privacy and Security: This is an annual conference, now in its 11th year, that addresses privacy and security challenges. They put together a proceedings of papers for each conference.
- Schneier on Security: Bruce Schneier’s website, which contains a lot of great insights on current security issues.
- Krebs on Security: This guy is a lot like Schneier but probably more technical in his write-ups on security new.
- CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory (CUPS) is a research lab at CMU (run by Acquisti & Cranor) that focuses on a variety of privacy and security topics.
- Websites/databases that focus on privacy:
- The Future of Privacy Forum is a DC-based think tank that “seeks to advance responsible data practices.”
- Networked Privacy Workshops: Working with many scholars from academia and industry, I’ve helped run a number of workshops over the years at CSCW, CHI, and other tech conferences.
- Tor Project: Per the site: “Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security.”
- How PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) Works: Introduction to Cryptography [PGPI]
- Gabriella Coleman’s book on hacktivism and Anonymous is free online [PDF]
- Tech blogs that cover privacy and security:
People to follow on Twitter
Or check out this privacy & security people Twitter list.
- Christopher Soghoian | @csoghoian
- ashkan soltani | @ashk4n
- EFF | @EFF
- Future of Privacy Forum | @futureofprivacy
- PrivacyMemes | @PrivacyMemes
- PRC | @PrivacyToday
- Joseph Lorenzo Hall | @JoeBeOne
- Glenn Greenwald | @ggreenwald
- Kate Crawford | @katecrawford
- Michael Zimmer | @michaelzimmer
- Evan Selinger | @EvanSelinger
- Woodrow Hartzog | @hartzog
- Kim Zetter | @KimZetter
- Kashmir Hill | @kashhill
- Matthew Garrett | @mjg59
- CSMPasscode | @csmpasscode
- Jon Adams | @netik
- Michael Kaiser | @mkaiserNCSA
- Simply Secure | @simplysecure
- World Privacy Forum | @privacyforum
- Daniel J. Solove | @DanielSolove
- Privacy + Security Academy | @privsecacademy
- Matthew Green | @matthew_d_green
Resources for Parents & Kids
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA): details on the law that protects children’s personal information on websites.
- How to Protect Your Child’s Privacy Online [Wall Street Journal]
- Wall Street Journal’s “Exposure Index” for Children’s Websites
- Media and Digital Literacy: Resources for Parents [EduTopia]
- Online Resources for Parents and Educators [PBS/Frontline]
- Connect Safely: online resource for parents and adolescents on using Web and smartphones
- Internet Safety Tips for Kids and Teens [National Children’s Advocacy Center]
- Internet Safety Tips for Kids [U.S. Department of Justice]
- NS Teenz [Net Smartz/National Center for Missing & Exploited Children]
Recent news articles on privacy management for adolescents:
- Keep Your Child Safe Online [PC Mag]
- ‘Big Brother’? No, It’s Parents [New York Times]