Ask the ITS IA Experts
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Tag Archives: privacy
Use “Personal and Private” folders for non-work files
Do you have personal, non-work files on your university-owned computer or in an online storage space provided by U-M? Help the university protect your privacy by storing them in a folder labeled Personal and Private.
Check Safe Computing’s “In the Media” for IT security and privacy news
Stay up to date on IT security and privacy stories with Safe Computing’s In the Media section.
Igo reviewed history of the SSN at Privacy Day webinar
The public perception of the SSN has gone from a symbol of security to be seen as a symbol of privacy insecurity.
Student webinar introduces ViziBLUE
Student panelists shared their perspectives on privacy and introduced the new student guide to personal data—ViziBLUE—at the February 2 “Student Data, Privacy, and ViziBLUE webinar.
Listen: Privacy Perspectives
What are privacy officers talking about when they talk about privacy? And why is it important?
Practice and encourage good digital citizenship
Do your part to support online civility and practice and promote good digital citizenship.
History of privacy timeline on Safe Computing
Visit the new Safe Computing History of Privacy Timeline to learn more about privacy milestones.
Does Canvas allow faculty to track students online?
Learning management systems like Canvas allow faculty to see some student activity. But UM-Dearborn’s Coordinator of Digital Education Chris Casey says it’s far from being a surveillance system. The rumor he hears most often is that faculty can see if students open other browser tabs or websites outside of Canvas. “This one is definitely false,” Casey says, noting… Read More »
Plan to explore privacy in January
Privacy is important year round, but in January it comes into extra sharp focus as we celebrate Data Privacy Day on January 28. Mark your calendar now and plan to partake in a variety of U-M-wide events.
New IoT devices for the holidays? Mind your privacy & security!
Internet of things (IoT) devices can be great gifts, but those smart home speakers, thermostats, and cool wearables like watches and fitness trackers come with some security and privacy risks. To protect yourself and your personal data, follow these tips: Privacy Mute your smart speaker when not using it. Disable features you don’t use. Choose privacy settings for… Read More »
Roya Ensafi named inaugural Consumer Reports Digital Lab Fellow
Roya Ensafi, assistant professor of computer science and engineering, has been named an inaugural Digital Lab Fellow by Consumer Reports, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The 2020-21 cohort consists of five public interest technology researchers from around the world, working on a 10 month collaboration with support and a stipend. As a fellow, Ensafi will… Read More »
Recording classes: (Some) rules of the road
U-M classes are overwhelming being taught remotely this semester. This means that some instructors may, for a variety of reasons, wish to record their classes. The Safe Computing website has guidelines for instructors who plan to record class activities. Recordings where students can be identified—from in-person sessions or remote instruction via Zoom, BlueJeans, or any other videoconferencing application—are:… Read More »
Some children at higher risk of privacy violations from digital apps
Although federal privacy laws prohibit digital platforms from storing and sharing children’s personal information without verifiable parental consent, a study led by U-M researchers finds that those rules aren’t always enforced, and privacy violations are most likely to affect children from lower-education households. Children raised by parents without college degrees showed two to three times higher rates of… Read More »
Why we adopt then abandon online safety practices
To find out why people adopt and then sometimes abandon online safety measures, researchers from the School of Information surveyed more than 900 people about their use of 30 commonly recommended practices to guard against security, privacy, and identity theft risks. The team found that security practices like avoiding clicking on unknown links or emails were much more… Read More »
New Safe Computing resources promote remote IT security
ITS Information Assurance has rapidly developed a number of new Safe Computing resources to help you practice and promote good IT security and privacy practices in this new normal: New on Safe Computing and in IT Security at U-M. New resources covering videoconferencing security and privacy, coronavirus scams, how to prevent Zoombombing, new videos, new entries in the… Read More »
Tech Tip: Private search engines
This month, I am sharing a few internet search services that focus on privacy. Yes, Google is a great way to find information on the internet. However, there are quite a few alternatives available that may produce similar/better results, do not store user data, provide identical results for all users (not personalized), and do not track you as… Read More »
Data security for a safer world
9/11 changed everything for U-M computer engineering alum Kurt Rohloff. Having grown up in the metro New York City, 9/11 felt especially close to home. It set him on a path to a career in security and U.S. defense. “I got really interested in the areas of data science, analytics, privacy and how one could use privacy technology… Read More »
Big Data advances research, but it shouldn’t do so at the cost of privacy
It might seem pretty safe to add an app that promises to help take control of your health. But doctors who appreciate the research potential of incorporating big data into medical care are also warning about the need to manage the risk of exposing such health data while it’s still possible to do so. “Some health data shared… Read More »
Emotion recognition has a privacy problem – here’s how to fix it
With devices listening everywhere you go, privacy concerns are endemic to advancing technology. For example, a virtual assistant that can learn to adapt to a user’s mood creates more useful, human-like interactions. But what if the audio powering these insights stores the user’s gender and demographic information on company servers – leaving the user open to identification by… Read More »