Data Privacy for Business and Individuals

Archive for the Privacy Category

Social Credit – How You Are Really Being Measured

Social Credit - How You Are Really Being Measured

When I pick services, restaurants, or even download apps, I always research their ratings first. I rely on a system where an audience of other users or buyers give their (hopefully) unbiased opinion about what I am about to purchase. What if we turned the tables and allowed companies to rate the users? This is Social Credit. A system where your

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Your Guide to the GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation

Your Guide to the GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation

What is the GDPR? The General Data Protection Regulation is a framework of legal guidelines for collection and processing of personal info of individuals within the European Union. Or, in short, it’s a set of rules that companies need to follow to collect and protect a user’s data. As of May 25th, 2018, any company, group, or individual, that handles

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Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and Blockchain Explained

Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and Blockchain Explained

Many people have heard about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency but, like many new technologies, most wave it off as being too complicated to understand. Not so. Given how much I enjoy demystifying  tech for others, I’ve broken it down in a way that even a grade 5 student can understand it. And for reference, I did run this by an actual

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Cybersecurity: Easy steps to protect you, your workplace, and your home

Cybersecurity: Easy steps to protect you, your workplace, and your home

When I started my career as a software developer, the word cybersecurity was thrown around as a technical term describing how computer data was encrypted and protected within an electrical system. Fast forward a few decades and now cybersecurity affects everyone who touches a digital device. The problem is many people still feel like it’s a technical issue that they

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Back To School Guide for Online Safety

Back To School Guide for Online Safety

Every fall my inbox gets filled with questions from parents about technology, internet, and their kids returning to school. I have combed through those messages, as well as frequently asked questions from presentations, to help answer what parents want to know most at this time of year. If you don’t see your question answered, give us a shout or leave a comment

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Turn Off Device Tracking and Location on Your Phone

Turn Off Device Tracking and Location on Your Phone

Every handheld device knows where it is, pinpointed via cell towers, WiFi, and connected apps. This used to be called Global Positioning Service (GPS) and was primary used to identify your location on a map on your device. Today it is referred to as Geolocation, or Location Based Services (LBS). This location data is now sent from your device to other services so

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Social Media and Internet Trends: The Pitfall Edition

Social Media and Internet Trends: The Pitfall Edition

I spend a lot of time immersed in articles, studies, and research on social media and internet use. In the past years I have created a “trends” article for the new year that highlighted new tech, new evolutions of social media, and better use of tools making a play in the online space. Things feel a bit different this year.

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Tools to Monitor and Manage Kids’ Online Lives

Tools to Monitor and Manage Kids' Online Lives

With the growing reach of the internet and our connected lives, monitoring and guiding this generation of kids has become increasingly difficult. No matter what your opinion is on parenting – from free-range to helicopter – some guidance is required to get kids on the right path while online. Though I would love to recommend a single tool to do

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Setting Precedence: Apple vs the FBI

Setting Precedence: Apple vs the FBI

The ease of access for digital data has blurred the lines between what is an invasion of privacy and what is free for the taking. Edward Snowden opened the floodgates in 2014 when he revealed that the FBI had been using data from cell companies and social networks without users consent. This was rectified by stringent security created by the device

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Binary Tat Cat says… Don’t do that!

Binary Tat Cat says... Don't do that!

Hold on a minute. Before you post that image, blog or tweet, consider the content. If it breaks even one of these rules, think really hard about putting it out there! DO NOT…. Send a picture to someone via email/snapchat/instagram that you wouldn’t want your boss, principal, or grandma to see! Sure you are sending them to your good friend

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