Does BeReal Curate Inauthentic “Authenticity”?
The first time I encountered BeReal, I was on a bus going to downtown Vancouver. I noticed a woman sitting in front of me take a photo of herself, and then angle her phone to quickly take a photo out the window. At first I was confused as to what she was doing. A couple […]
Is the Price of Convenience a Loss of Privacy?
Connected objects and devices (aka the Internet of Things) are on the rise.[1] You probably have encountered an IoT object if you own a smartwatch or fitness tracker, or have a smart assistant like a Google Home. While these can be helpful gadgets, we suggest making some considerations before purchasing a smart object—check out what […]
Guest Post: A Clear Cookie Jar: Discussing the Increased Autonomy of Our Digital Privacy
A Clear Cookie Jar: Discussing the Increased Autonomy of Our Digital Privacy by Olivia Done We all have privacy agreement fatigue, often accepting all cookies on browsers and skipping new privacy agreement emails. [1] However, recent changes to EU and Canadian digital privacy laws provide us with more user autonomy over data mining [2], terminology […]
Guest Video: Privacy vs. Anonymity
Privacy vs. Anonymity by Misha Khawaja and Ali Albastaki Do you know the difference between online privacy and anonymity? This excellent video by Misha Khawaja and Ali Albastaki from the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology, University of Toronto, Mississauga does a great job of explaining the difference! Which is more important to you […]
Guest Post: Password Managers: How to create and keep track of strong passwords for multiple accounts
Password Managers: How to create and keep track of strong passwords for multiple accounts by Dana Svitavsky Passwords are an important part of internet life, and you can’t successfully use the internet without them. This means that it’s important to think about how your passwords are being kept safe. A study from the Pew Research […]
“The Social Dilemma”: An Aftermath of Change?
When “The Social Dilemma” came out on Netflix earlier this year, it created a tremendous reaction of shock and alarm from its viewers. Even some of the most avid social media users were stunned at the practices that tech companies were performing right under their noses, and especially at one of the movie’s main claims: […]
Guest Post: Deepfake Impact is Real
Guest Post: Deepfake Impact is Real By Hossein Torabi Deepfaking is growing fast and has already gained popularity in social media. According to Cellan-Jones (2019), the number of online deepfake videos has almost doubled in the past nine months, rising from 7964 online videos in December 2018 to 14698 in October 2019. A lot has […]
