Permission Slip: Controlling Data About You
Every day there is a data breach, by a school district, a business, or hospital. It seems no matter where you might store your data, it's sure that someone will bumble it and spill
Privacy
Student Data Privacy: NWEA Assets Acquired
Should educators and parents of children who have partaken of NWEA to asses Math and Reading in elementary schools be worried? Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) said today that it'
DuckDuckGone
[
Browser Privacy
Privacy Tests released its list of open source browser, privacy testing. You can see the results online . As I review the list, I realize how little
Another Day, Another Data Breach
Working with a local educator, a kind and wonderful school leader, I was astonished to see her face the real life consequences of a spouse's actions with online dating service. Her
Failure to Erase
[ ](
Safeguarding Student Data with G Suite EDU
The following blog entry first appeared at the TCEA TechNotes blog . Be sure to check out Miguel's publications via
Memories: Stop Digital Privacy Violations & Writing-Technology Connection
My co worker at TCEA, Susan Meyer, was kind enough to share a digital copy of my recent TechEdge article (in the FINAL ever print version of TechEdge) with me. It's hard to believe
Discarded Toy? Facebook
As any parent knows, your children will play with a few toys at first, then when a new toy arrives or as time goes by, the toy is forgotten. This happened often with our first chil
Monitor Your Animoto?
In a disappointing turn of events, Animoto (link to their blog where I don't see anything mentioned about the data breach or email....hmm), the dar
Tips to Protect Your Android Phone
Wondering how to safeguard your Android phone? You'll want to read this blog entry! Be sure to visit the [ TCEA TechNotes blog to read this entry ](
Oops. Another 39 #Txed Schools Suffer Data Breach #cybersecurity
Do you have kids enrolled in a school district? It wouldn't hurt to ask that district, "How are you safeguarding my child's personally identifiable information (PII)?" A good follo
School Security Summit: Safeguarding Privacy
Safeguarding student privacy and the security of networks remains a key priority for education leaders. [
What's Your District's Privacy Process?
“What approaches do you have in place to safeguard student data and privacy?” From student assessment data to personally identifiable information to counting how many times student
#Free eBook - Protect Your Digital #Privacy #edtech
Are you protecting your family's digital sensitive data? Do you have processes in place to protect confidential student data in your classroom, school and/or district? If the world
Encrypting #OneNote Pages and Sections #free #onlineconference
Looking for an easy way to encrypt and protect data stored in OneNote? Fortunately, OneNote provides encryption when you password protect a section: [
Yahoo Data Breach - I told you so #privacy #edtech
"I told you so." The words pop
How's Your District Protecting Confidential Student & Staff Data? #edtech #txlege #txed
“People are living in an unprecedented condition,” shares the 2014 Pew Research Report on The Future of Privacy, “of ubi
Encrypted File Systems (EncFS)
What a fascinating read (if you're into protecting your confidential files on your computer) about the EncFS (encrypted file system) in this blog entry, [Using EncFS with Dropbo
MGuhlin.org's Top 5 #Security and #Privacy #iOS Apps
Looking at my iPhone, I wonder how the FBI/NSA/local techie crook could crack the security on my device! Of course, it would probably just take a wrench strategically applied, but
4 Tips for Securing Your Cloud Storage via @diben
Love this image! Found it on Linked
3 Steps To Cloud Safe Computing
"91% of adults in the survey “agree” or “strongly agree” that consumers, " shares a [2014 Pew Research study](
Managing My Clouds: Unlimited Storage (Updated)
Update: I take back everything nice I said about Amazon Cloud Drive. Unfortunately, it's not ready for prime time. While you can store stuff there, it's difficult to interact
Keepass Password Storage--Hacked! #keefarce #encryption #privacy
Oh no! My favorite passwork keeper is now vulnerable! I should have known it couldn't last: If you are a KeePass user like me, then beware. denandz just posted a tool in github t
Protecting Against a Data Breach
Every time I check my Twitter feed, I get a notice of a data breach occurring at a business or school district. That's why it's critical school leaders come up with a Safeguarding
TAILS: Getting Files and Finding a File Commander (Updated)
One of the most helpful, "sure to work" distros I carry around with me on a USB flash drive is the TAILS live operating system . I have found it to bo
Going to Gabon:Tech Tips for an Educator
Gabon flag A colleague is leaving for [Gabon](
A New Sport - Avoiding Cloud Phishing Spam
"What dumb dumbs!" I said to myself as I saw this email allegedly from fellow blogger, Pamela Parker: [ ](htt
Top Security Tips for Educators (Updated 3x)
"Most networks, " I remember reading (no source, sorry), "are built like a medieval castle. Once you get past the moat, the castle wall with archers and infantry armed with
WhiteOut Email Encryption - Now on iOS!
Source: [WhiteOut Mail client fo
Seminar: Investigative Techniques Using Social Networking Sites
Done a search on Instagram or other social media sites and found your school districts or school represented inappropriately? If so, you're not alone! My own children use Instagram
Prevent Click Tracking Tools for Gmail
"Miguel knows when you open your email or read it!" A co worker thought it was creepy that I knew when people were reading my emails. I found it immensely helpful to know if
MyIdealSetup - Saying Goodbye and Hello to Cloud Services @dmantz7 @wfryer
Colleague Dean Mantz asks: [ ](
Protecting Against Scams (Updated)
Update: [Fox7News in Austin, Tx interviewed my daughter after they read this blog entry. Read the news report online.](
Email Encryption - Easier Than Ever with @Whiteoutio @olivergajek #chromebook #android #ios
Note: This blog entry has been updated to reflect new information from the WhiteOut.io creators! All good stuff! [
40+ Tales of #Encryption to Warm Your Heart #crypto
As I was writing [my blog entry on enc
Decluttering and Organizing Your Digital Space
Overwhelmed by your digital life? Take control! Here is my checklist for digital file management and eliminating clutter. This rumination inspired by Doug "Blue Skunk" Johnson's bl
Would You like a Milkshake with Your Identity Theft? #identitytheft
"You should stop reading about data breaches," a voice whispered into my ear. "There's one every time you go shopping." That's not far from the truth...every time I go to the store
CTOs Role: 5 Tips +1 to Grow On--If You Survive #sony #hacked CTO
At the risk of incurring the ire of the hackers and vandals who took down [Sony, allegedly over Rogen and Franco's The Interview ](
Securing Your Passwords: Chromebook
In previous blog entries, I've shared how much I appreciate the wonderful work the free, open source password protection/tracking solution community has done for Keepass. I literal
USPS Data Breach and The Irony
No one likes to have their private information spilled across the Web, viewable by anyone with the skill and access to do so. That's why the Edward Snowden revelations caught us of
Automating FTP Transfers
If you are a school district, there are times when you have to transfer files securely often, encrypted from one location to another. It's tempting to want to use built in utilit
Sorry, Your Credit Card isn't Working
"I'm sorry, sir," said the Bill Miller's BBQ Restaurant window attendant. "Your card isn't working and there's an error that says you need to contact your bank." Since I had just c
Keep Your Stuff Secure
While I subscribe to the idea that we should encrypt all our communications, to be honest, it's often a pain. I try to encrypt top secret text messages to my family using the cross
Book Review: Deadly Odds (Updated 10/4/2014)
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Selecting a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Provider - #PrivateInternetAccess @buyvpnservice
[Private Internet Access](https:
Encrypting External USB Drives (Linux)
Image Source:
55 Blog Posts Need Correction #TrueCrypt
Last time we'll see this...?
Minding My Privacy - GoogleApps for Education turns off Ads and Scanning
Earlier this year (last month in fact), I encountered advertisements in GoogleApps for Education something that wasn't supposed to happen, especially since ads were switched off i
5 Tips to Help with #Heartbleed and Security
If you've missed it, there's been a ton of information shared about the OpenSSL vulnerability affecting every web site (so it seems) except a few such as Microsoft, Apple/iOS.
Safeguarding Your Data - Keep It Simple
Yet another blog entry on safeguarding your data. By now, if you're not doing it, you must not care. 1. Use Truecrypt.com to [create an encrypted box o
When Credit Monitoring Just Doesn't Work
You know, on top of not being able to go shopping at Target anymore, can you imagine how frustrating it is for folks who frequent liquor stores like Specs? In addition to getting
Gasp, Microsoft is reading your email! @wfryer
Wait, did I read that right? Mic
Simplifying Protection of Confidential Data
While I've written often about the importance of encrypting data, it's always fun to revisit this topic: Encrypting Evernote (and email) with Mailvelope: [
Tear It Down - Open Source is Our Alternative #privacy #txlege
"Microsoft has a backdoor built into Windows," shared a zealot GNU/Linux advocate to a small crowd of free software enthusiasts. It was an event that took place over 8 years ago an
Open Source Encryption Tools to Protect #Privacy #nsa (Updated 11/2018)
I was totally unprepared for today's bombshell revelations [describing the NSA's efforts to defeat encryption](
Dancing on Hot Coals #privacy #NSA
In a blog entry [ Are We Building Google Loyalty In Our Students? ](
Stop Using Google Chrome and Chromium Browsers?
It may be a moot point given that the NSA is spying on all our web services, but if someone were to analyze your passwords, would they be able to figure out how you construct them?
Why Care About Privacy
Believe we, as educators, should be teaching digital citizenship? Then why are you ignoring encryption and privacy concerns and remaining silent? [
Rail Against Big Brother, Blah, Blah, Blah!
"I'm getting my daughter, a high school freshman, an iPhone." "Oh, that's great," I replied. Having made the plunge myself for my son, who was also headed to high school, I couldn'
Managing Your Virtual Presence #encryption #privacy (Updated)
Update: Lavabit.com has been shut down by the owner. How would I adjust my diagram? Hmm... My Fellow Users, I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become compl
Strange Bedfellows - Treason and Freedom
Wow, I was shocked to read this stirring piece by Devin Coldewey over at TechCrunch, entitled [Tools for Treason](
Free Justin Carter
How can America celebrate Independence Day when situations like those that snarled Justin Carter, a 19 year old Texas gamer, in a web of fear and terror even when nothing condemne
Protest NSA Tracking
[youtube= [Defend the 4th Amendment.](
Shreds of Privacy #chrome #firefox #browser
Image Source:
Keep It Simple: Yet Another Wrap-Up of Privacy Tools
...as one former NSA official noted, "You have to assume everything is being collected." ([Read More](
Reflections - Cloud Services To Rely On #edchat @evernote
"[Go ahead," I encouraged a short time a
Violating Google Policies with My Blog Posts
Update: The warnings have been removed from my Google Plus postings, but I'm still curious what triggered the policy violation. Anyways, thanks, Google+ folks! Earlier this w
Dealing with a Security Breach - Sample Letter
Purpose of This Module The purpose of this module is to provide information on what would be considered an appropriate response or notification of a data breach. You should not
Decrypt Encrypted Confidential Files with AESCrypt on Macintosh - Part 3
Note : This is part 3 of 3 of a series on using AESCrypt to protect confidential files on your Macintosh computer. There is also a Windows specific series. Purpose of the Mo
How To Deal with a Data Security Breach
Note: This is a part of an online course on Securing Confidential Data . Purpose of This Module The purpose of this module is to provide you with actionable steps to tak
Install AESCrypt on Windows - Part 1 - Setup
Note: Part 1 of several tutorials on how to encrypt your data easily. This is part 1 of 3 of the Windows series; there is another series for Mac. The purpose of this module i
Securing Data via Encryption
Note: This is a part of an online course on Securing Confidential Data . Secure Data via Encryption Did you know that if data is encrypted and a data breach occurs, you
Securing Your Passwords
Note: This is a part of an online course on Securing Confidential Data . Introduction Creating and keeping track of passwords can be a genuine chore. In the case of the form
Why Secure Data
Note: This is part of a Securing Confidential Data online course. Be a Responsible Digital Citizen Did you know that students in Grades 6 8, and by extension all educato
#Encryption Tool for Mac Improves - #AES Crypt
Chatting with a colleague who works with confidential student data on a daily basis whom I'd introduced to AESCrypt.com , a cross platform (e.g. Windows
Assault on Privacy
Privacy is dead. It slipped away while Americans were bad mouthing their politicians for failing to take appropriate action and avoid the fiscal cliff. [
The Illusion of Privacy
[ ](https
Encryption on the Mac
Source: [http
Securing Your Email
Others have remarked in astonishment why anyone would
Clean that Hard Drive
Blast From the Past: I originally wrote this pre 2010...surprisingly, it's all still accurate and the advice well worth following. [
5 Tips - Protect Private Data on #iPad or Android #BYODchat #byot #byod
Consider these interesting tidbits of BYOD Information.... [ ](
Handling a Security Breach
It's a tough situation to be in. How do you handle a security breach? Consider this scenario: Due to the inher
#TOR, #PDF Password Removal, #TrueCrypt --True Crack'd? Re-examining #Privacy
Update 05/28/2014 TrueCrypt is now defunct Skimming through my Zite articles, I found myself bo
When the Culture of Openness Fails
"Hi, honey," I asked my daughter on Thursday
MyNotes - Stepping Into the Breach -- Campus Technology
Every other month, I read or hear about a breach of privacy that affects educators. Let's see...yes, it's been a week since the last time I heard about one affecting educators. Jus
Encrypting Files the Easy Way
Update: Are you a school district administrator? You may want to [read this article, 5 Encryption Tips for Administrators , as well!](
5 Encryption Tips for School Administrators (Updated 1/1/2012)
Need to protect confidential informati
Ubiquitous Data Breaches - #NASA and #Tricare #SAIC
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encryption
Educators and Students' Confidential Info - Hacked!
Update 05/28/2014 TrueCrypt is now defunct Update 1/1/2012: [Use AES Crypt to encrypt files.
Embrace Encryption
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encryption
Encrypting for Dropbox
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encryption
MyNotes - Protecting Confidential Student Records = #FAIL
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt/NCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encr
MyNotes - Dropbox Possible Security Issues
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt/NCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encr
NCrypt Encryption for #Windows and #Linux - Command Line Only
UPDATE 01/03/2012: I now recommend AESCrypt solution for cross platform encrypting. Works great, free open source, and cross platform (
Protecting Your Privacy Online
[Disconnect Ch
TRS Confidential Data Fiasco #texas #education #fail
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt/NCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encr
Enhancing #Moodle #Security #bookreview #book #packt #edchat
Like anyone else responsible for a Mo
Insult to Injury? Texas Educators Info No Longer Confidential #txedbudget #txlege #outrage
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt/NCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encr
Safeguarding Your Logins and Passwords
Wondering how to safeguard your online passwords? There are a lot of different tools but here are some of my picks: KeePassX Take advantage of Kee
Encrypting School Confidential Data
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt/NCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encr
Privacy Is an Illusion
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt/NCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encr
Wiping FreeSpace on Your Hard Drive(s)
[Last week, I shared my list of favorite priva
Securing Confidential Info - Laundry List of Privacy Tools
Update 01/3/2012: I now recommend the free, open source AESCrypt in lieu of AxCrypt/NCrypt as a simple, easy to use cross platform encr
Sidestepping the Rules in Beijing
Image Source
Facebook Flunks Privacy Protection
Image Source:
Surrendering Privacy - Buying Music from Apple
Even though there is no such thing as privacy th
Branded - Around the Corner
Websense blocks Around the Corner MGuhlin.org... Around the Corner ...Branded. Featured at YouTube: ht
Encrypt Your Gmail Email Messages
Encrypting one's email and messages seems a bit paranoid, yet I find myself doing so for stuff I just don't want to drop in "plain text" in my inbox. As access to the cloud makes
VeraCrypt for Data Protection (Updated 01/03/2015)
Update 05/28/2014 TrueCrypt is now defunct but... as of 01/03/2014, [VeraCrypt has replaced i
Windows Admin Password - Recovering It
A colleague asked me as we tried to work on a computer, "How do I recover my admin password on Windows?" As I stumbled to remember the answer, I googled myself and found a posting
Tear Down This Wall - Twitter in the Classroom
Image: [Tear down this wall!
Social Security Numbering System Is Vulnerable to Fraud, Researchers Say - NYTimes.com
Social security numbers have always been at risk...if someone could design a computer program that could predict SSNs reliably...sheesh. Is this the death of SSN? Consider these po
Surveillance in the 21st Century
Surveillance is one of the benefits of a technological society. No one complains, after all, when the security camera above the Mall parking lot captures an assault and is later us
Teenage Twitter Hacker
Image Source: Wargames movie,
Your Printer is Spying On You
Source:
Crypto-nerd's Dream
Image Source: I fell out of my chair laughing
Locked In
Image Source: It's funn
Inappropriate MySpace Page for a Faculty Member
This question came up, and since I didn't know t
Transcript Liability
Howdy, now that many of us are using a learning management system as defined here to track professional learning that staff are participating in, are you aware of there being any
GPG for Windows
Lose a laptop, and your troubles could just be beginning! Why? Confidential data. Re discovering Windows XP solution, I stumbled across GPG4Windows, whic
KGPG
While there are several tools on the Linux side, [KGPG](
Mac GPG
On the Macintosh, there are several privacy tools you can use. While the Personal version of the [Pretty Good Privacy](
$1 Million COPPA Penalty for Sony
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) violations [cost Sony](
Too Expensive to Prosecute
Tough luck for college students...the RIAA runs out of money, decides to quit pursuing everyone and goes after the kids: Marking a shift in its efforts to clamp down on illegal f
Erase Free Space on Your Mac HD
This request came in at work...not as memorable as "O Captain, My Captain" but I won't complain too loudly... Mac God, Do you have any recommendation for a Hard Drive Cleaner