Surveillance for students: a primer
What with nearly-omnipresent network surveillance and concomitant self-censorship, students (academics in general, really) face a new set of challenges to their freedom of expression and privacy.There are several areas here of particular concern for students; notable among these are copyright, academic freedom and privacy. Even educational surveillance can create an atmosphere of distrust, detracting from learning and […]
Privacy, information and civil rights: Bill C-51
I am of the opinion that the passing of Bill C-51 threatens the privacy and freedom of Canadians. It would authorize intra-governmental disclosure of information pertaining to Canadian security, limit air-travel abilities of persons suspected of posing a threat (domestically or abroad), criminalization of ‘terrorist speech’ (which seems hopelessly vague), the granting of disruptive power […]
Why should I care about privacy if I have nothing to hide?
Many defenders of mass surveillance use the argument that “only people involved in bad acts should worry about their privacy.” In some ways, this seems to make sense. After all, if you’re doing something you don’t want people to know about, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place, right? Glenn Greenwald, one […]
Digital Tattoo launches Open Badges
The Digital Tattoo Project team is pleased to announce that we have recently launched an online badging system. This was made possible through a collaboration with Open Badges UBC, a pilot project pioneering badge-based learning pathways in three programs. The badges you can currently earn through the Digital Tattoo Project are Subscriber, Awareness, Community, Contributor and […]
How We Grieve Online
Anthony Moukarzel’s Facebook page is more active than most. Almost every day he receives messages from family members and friends, or is tagged in photos. But Anthony has not changed his profile picture in five years, or ever uploaded a cover photo. This is because in July 2010 he died in a tragic car […]
Love Apptually: Dating in the Age of Big Data
Valentine’s day is upon us, and romance is in the air – or at least, flashing across your smartphone screen. Digital technologies have infiltrated just about every aspect of our lives – including matters of the heart. Apps like Tinder have drastically transformed the ways that we connect, form social bonds, and fall in love. […]
Ten New Year’s resolutions for your digital life
New year, new you. Given that such a large portion of our lives are now led online, it only makes sense to make some New Year’s resolutions for your digital self. Here are 10 suggestions from the Digital Tattoo team for a fun and productive 2015: 1. Google yourself. Review what shows up in […]
Is the Internet hostile to women?
A recent study by the Pew Research Institute revealed that 40% of Internet users have experienced online harassment. Among young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, 70% cited that they had experienced some form of abuse online. A disturbing trend showed that women were far more likely to have experienced severe forms of […]
#ALSIceBucketChallenge: altruistic or narcissistic?
If you’ve spent any time perusing social media over the past few weeks, you’ve probably come across dozens of videos of friends, celebrities, and even politicians dousing themselves with ice water. Are people really that desperate to cool down in the last few weeks of summer? Not quite. The videos are a part of […]
Ghostery: track your trackers
Ever feel as though you’re being watched? If you spend a lot of time online, that sentiment may be justified. It is no longer a secret that an overwhelming number of online companies now use data mining to target their ads based on individuals’ specific internet histories. Ever looked up an item online, only to […]
