Guerrilla Archiving
On December 17, 2016 The Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto hosted a Guerrilla Archiving Event to preserve American environmental data in preparation for the incoming President. There was concern leading up to the inauguration that the new administration under Trump would be hostile to evidence based environmental studies. I had the pleasure of connecting with […]
The Erasure of Information
Canadian scientists and academics are helping to secure endangered data in the United States. Using lessons learned under Stephen Harper and the Conservative party’s administration—which saw the vast suppression of scientific communication and the destruction of data archives—Canadian scientists and academics are helping their neighbours to the south. The new threat to information comes from […]
Digital Identity Digest (February)
The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto It’s not everyday that an edgy, youth-focused, and (amazingly) growing media organization names a professor of political science one of their “humans of the year,” but this is exactly what happened for Ron Deibert. Motherboard, the science and technology section of Vice, has added Deibert into their ongoing series because […]
Connect Exposed Video
The Video Two UBC students talk about how they use Connect and then watch a video that explains how Connect collects student data and generates reports that instructors can view. They express concerns about how this data is collected and about the affect that it may have on their grades. Overall, they believe that a […]
Allow Access to My Location?
Introduction How many times a day do applications on your phone ask to be allowed to access your location. Do you leave your location GPS on all the time? Do you know how to turn it off? If you’re not concerned with how companies like Google having access to your location, consider that with that […]
Data sharing between WhatsApp and Facebook
Data sharing between WhatsApp and Facebook How did it happen? In August of this year, WhatsApp made a change to its privacy policy. The instant messaging service with over a billion users announced that it’s sharing data with its parent company, Facebook. This means that WhatsApp users’ phone numbers, contacts, and even the content of their messages, can now […]
Welcome to the Digital Tattoo
The Project The Digital Tattoo project is designed to encourage thoughtful engagement with the issues and concerns surrounding the internet, privacy, and online identity. It does this by providing resources—including videos, quizzes, and links—that explore various aspects of digital citizenship. The overall goal is to make you more aware of your options when navigating the […]
Taking Control of your Data
In light of my recent exploration of data collection, surveillance, and analysis with UBC’s Learning Management System, Blackboard Connect, I’ve felt empowered to take further control of the data that exists about me online. Below, I’ve identified two of the larger data mining companies, Google and Facebook, and what you can do retrieve, edit, and delete the […]
Digital Identity Digest (December)
Canadian precedent emerging for teen sexting A 16-year-old boy from Newfoundland received a sentence of 18-month probation for sharing naked photos of his 15-year-old girlfriend. He pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and avoided the more serious charge of distribution. In Canada, he could have faced the same charge even if he had not shared the images. It […]
Digital Identity Digest (November)
The future of privacy might be analog technology New smart home devices, which are internet connected devices that are part of the growing Internet of Things, like a WiFi connected teapot, present quite a few privacy concerns. Such devices were used in late October to temporarily bring down the internet in a coordinated attack. They’re relatively unsecure […]
