Digital Security & Privacy Self-Defense

By Luke Crouch

Elevator Pitch

Modern technology has created abilities to eavesdrop and collect data on everyone. This talk covers material from EFF, Consumer Reports, and WIRED to defend yourself from hackers & trackers by using secure technology and developing careful practices.

Description

From EFF: “Modern technology has given those in power new abilities to eavesdrop and collect data on innocent people. Surveillance Self-Defense is EFF’s guide to defending yourself and your friends from surveillance by using secure technology and developing careful practices.”

From Consumer Reports: “There’s a lot you can do to protect your personal information when you go online, whether you’re using a smartphone or a laptop, and whether you’re at home or in a coffee shop. The following steps take just a few minutes to do, and each one can help make your data more secure, foiling hackers and controlling the amount of data that companies collect without your knowledge.”

From WIRED: “In an age of nonstop breaches and hacks, getting a handle on your own digital security matters more than ever. But everyone has their own threat model—a set of concerns unique to themselves. The average smartphone user doesn’t need to know what a Faraday cage is; an NSA contractor probably already has a good grasp of security basics. (Or … do they?) In this guide, we’ve included a few ways to improve your online security posture based on those different levels of risk. These won’t prevent the next megabreach or banish ransomware from the earth. They’re not all-encompassing. But they’ll help get you in the mindset of the types of steps you should be taking based on your particular situation. And they’ll help ensure that the next time you read one of those paralyzing headlines, it doesn’t apply to you.”