User Privacy

Book excerpt: Personal data in the online world as become a commodity. Coveted by criminals, demanded by governments, and used for unsavory purposes by marketers and advertisers, your private information is at risk everywhere. For libraries and librarians, this poses a professional threat as well as a personal one. How can we protect the privacy of library patrons and users who browse our online catalogs, borrow sensitive materials, and use our public computers and networks? User Privacy: A Practical Guide for Librarians answers that question. Through simple explanations and detailed, step-by-step guides, library professionals will learn how to strengthen privacy protections for: Library policies Wired and wireless networks Public computers Web browsers Mobile devices Apps Cloud computing Each chapter begins with a "threat assessment" that provides an overview of the biggest security risks – and the steps that can be taken to deal with them. Also covered are techniques for preserving online anonymity, protecting activists and at-risk groups, and the current state of data encryption.