Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

Equity and privacy problems with online proctoring reflect a larger issue: Students look to universities to set an example of integrity.

The Internet is an invaluable resource for teachers and students, but it's also one that's filled with risks as well. The education sector is commonly targeted by hackers, both because it has valuable data and because cyber security measures are inconsistent across districts, campuses, and buildings. They are prime targets for social engineering attacks such as phishing, since cyber security awareness may not be the same among the teacher and student population. Social engineering tactics can be particularly useful against larger organizations, as it's less likely that an unfamiliar face or name would be out of place in that environment. On top of that risk, a lack of privacy can also stem from inappropriate social media settings, over sharing, and other factors that lead to reputation damage or cyberbullying. Use this complete web browsing privacy guide to protect teachers, students, and parents from all the dangers of web browsing.

CHICAGO — Colleges are increasingly using Big Data to monitor students, control their access to information and set them on learning paths they may not have chosen, argues Chris Gilliard, a professor at Macomb Community College, who says the practices add up to “digital redlining.”

“I don’t think education is a predictive task,” said Gilliard, criticizing the use of data systems that allegedly forecast student success or failure. “I’m seeing a whole lot of wreckage in the process that people aren’t considering.”

Editor’s Note: We first quoted Caltech Artist-in-Residence David Kremers maxim, “Privacy is the new luxury” back in 2009. In the decade since then, we’ve seen a continuous assault on personal privacy, as surveillance has become the dominant business model on the internet. We’ve approached questions of privacy from many different angles over the years here at The Scholarly Kitchen, including technology architectural approaches to privacy (particularly relevant in light of new authentication systems like RA21), as well as striving to find the right balance between personalization and privacy).

Librarians have long been stalwart guardians of patron privacy — an increasingly difficult task in the era of Google and Facebook. Today’s post is by Mimi Calter, Deputy University Librarian for Stanford University, who brings a useful framework for libraries as they consider patron privacy.

Patron privacy has been a long-standing concern of libraries, and in the era of Facebook data-sharing scandals and of GDPR, the privacy of users of digital content is an increasing concern. In response to that general issue, and to several specific difficulties with data providers, Stanford Libraries, with support from a number of our peer institutions, have put forward a Statement on Patron Privacy and Database Access.

Audrey Watters answers the question whether we’re ‘addicted’ to technology:

I am hesitant to make any clinical diagnosis about technology and addiction – I’m not a medical professional. But I’ll readily make some cultural observations, first and foremost, about how our notions of “addiction” have changed over time. “Addiction” is medical concept but it’s also a cultural one, and it’s long been one tied up in condemning addicts for some sort of moral failure. That is to say, we have labeled certain behaviors as “addictive” when they’ve involve things society doesn’t condone. Watching TV. Using opium.

I recently bashed Windows for being too darn snoopy, but you know what? It’s not just Windows. Ever since Yosemite came out, Apple’s macOS has been just as untrustworthy. As for Chrome OS, Android and iOS, come on! They’re all built around cloud services; by design, they share everything you do with third-party services. What’s the answer? Desktop Linux.

Michael Zimmer and Bonnie Tijerina
INTRODUCTION
The UW-Milwaukee Center for Information Policy Research, in partnership with Data & Society, along with the American
Library Association’s Offi ce of Intellectual Freedom and the New York Public Library, was awarded a National Leadership
Grants for Libraries award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for the project “Library Values &
Privacy in our National Digital Strategies: Field guides, Convenings, and Conversations.” A series of gatherings were
held throughout 2017-2018 that brought together library practitioners, privacy advocates, and technology experts to
discuss and debate a national roadmap for a digital privacy strategy for libraries. The culminating event -- the Library
Values and Privacy Summit -- was held in New York City bringing together privacy experts from within and outside
libraries and sparked discussions on key privacy-related issues and possible paths forward.Click here to edit the content

It’s your profile, you can include what you want to include—right? Before you post, think. Are you prepared to have those words and images represent you for months, and even years to come? Your postings on profiles and to chats and blogs may have cyberlives much longer than what you might have imagined or intended, and may reach a much wider audience than you could have anticipated.