The JKM Library Blog

February 2020

As we live more and more of our lives on the Internet, it’s important to take personal digital privacy seriously. Hacking techniques can be very sophisticated, and a breech in your privacy can have devastating effects. Learning how to protect your data and your privacy online, as well as how to develop good digital hygiene, is becoming more and more important.
Last semester (fall 2019), we conducted an informal #BeCyberSmart survey of our patrons, asking which level of familiarity they have with personal digital privacy and which actions they take to protect their personal information online.
Patrons were asked to select a sticker color that corresponded with their knowledge level and place those stickers in the columns representing actions they have taken to protect their personal digital privacy. Below are the results of this interactive informal survey.
While most participants have indicated that they know at least a little bit about personal digital privacy and cybersecurity, there is always room for more knowledge! The more you know, the better able you are to protect yourself online. Below we’ve compiled a quick list of resources for you to use when going about a personal digital detox or increasing your personal digital privacy.
1) Use a password manager like Bitwarden or LastPass.
2) Go through the Data Detox Kit: https://datadetoxkit.org/en/home
From the website… “The Data Detox Kit’s clear suggestions and concrete steps help people harness all aspects of their online lives, making more informed choices and changing their digital habits in ways that suit them.”
Follow simple step-by-step guides to cleaning up your digital presence and locking down your digital privacy
Includes tips and tricks for how to maintain your privacy and good digital hygiene
Offers alternatives to popular apps that do not respect your privacy or pose threats to your privacy
Developed by Berlin-based organization called Tactical Tech in partnership with Mozilla
3) Swap out Google for DuckDuckGo: https://duckduckgo.com/
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that runs off of the same search index as Bing, which means it isn’t quite as intuitive as Google, but your
information stays safe!
It does NOT track your searches
It has a very useful browser plug-in that will “grade” each website you visit in terms of how well that website will protect your personal digital information:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/duckduckgo-for-firefox/
It blocks ads for you. We still recommend adding additional ad blockers (The Data Detox Kit has great suggestions)
When coupling DuckDuckGo with Firefox, you’re off to a good start in terms of protecting your privacy while using the Internet
4) Feeling really adventurous? Try out Brave Browser: https://brave.com/
From the website… “You deserve a better Internet. So we reimagined what a browser should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get unmatched speed,
security and privacy by blocking trackers. Earn rewards by opting into our privacy-respecting ads and help give publishers back their fair share of Internet revenue.”
Brave goes beyond protecting your privacy. It revolutionizes how companies monetize their online presence and put that power in your hands. Instead of suffering through ads, you get to decide where your money goes. And if you decide you’re ok with ads, you get rewarded for it!
Brave does not collect your data and gives you incredible control over your own Internet experience
5) Visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation and read up on current affairs concerning personal digital privacy online and more: https://www.eff.org/issues/net-neutrality From the website… “The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows.”
They advocate for safe, secure, and equitable access to Internet resources for all Take advantage of their numerous tools and additional resources to protect Internet users’ privacy: https://www.eff.org/pages/tools
Volunteer with the EFF and contribute even more!

November 2018

This November, the JKM Library launched a crowd sourced digital mapping project called “Whose Land Are You On?” in honor of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month. We have a couple of goals for this project, which will be ongoing and updated throughout the years. First, we wanted to document where people in the Chatham Community grew up or considered their childhood home so we can see how far we’ve all come from. We then wanted to help the Chatham community educate each other on which indigenous people call/called that land home before being pushed out. We also aim to generate awareness around indigenous culture and the devastating effects of colonialism. Ultimately, we hope to honor those indigenous people and help stop the erasure of their presence from their own land.
So, how does this digital mapping project accomplish all that, and how can you participate?
We are using two digital tools to build our own map: Native Land and Google’s My Maps. Native Land is a project originating out of Canada and run by Victor Temprano as an engaging tool for awareness and advocacy. It is a dynamic project and comes with the caveat that it may contain inaccuracies. Victor acknowledges the maps many flaws in theory and in practice, but its intention is education, and that is how we are using it with this project. My Maps is a great tool from Google that allows us to create our own map with custom data. Anyone can access it and contribute to the map with their data.
To participate, you first look up your home town on the Native Land map. This website will tell you the different Native and indigenous people who lived on that land.
You then will want to go to our My Maps map, look up your home town again, and then drop and edit a pin in that location! We ask that you insert the Native tribal information into your pin so that others visiting the map will be able to see who called that land home before the colonizers. For in-depth instructions and images, please visit our guide at https://library.chatham.edu/whoseland and contribute a pin of your own!
Once you are done adding your pin, you can return to Native Land and take advantage of the informational links they offer on the Native tribes that pop up when you searched your home town. Click on those links and take 10 minutes out of your day to read up on them and their culture. Take that information with you as you head home
for Thanksgiving, and tell your family about the people whose land you are on. Thank them for being the stewards of that land, and talk about what you and your family can do to support them now.
We encourage everyone from any part of the Americas to participate! That includes Canada, Central, and South America. And don’t forget Hawaii! Native Americans are
not just indigenous folks from what we now call the United States. Borders have a habit of tripping us up, but if you are from a part of the world that has been documented by Native Land, please feel free to add it to our map. We will continue to ask the Chatham community to add to and browse this map in years to come. This project has no end date and will continue to be living and dynamic for as long as the tools we picked will allow. Check back in next year or the year after to see how it grows.