Tech Republic: “Government organizations could save millions of dollars by recycling and reusing solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of destroying hardware to protect sensitive data. That’s the recommendation from the Blancco Technology Group’s report on data management methods. The report, “The Price of Destruction: Exploring the Financial and Environmental Costs of Public Sector Device Sanitization,” found… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Records
Boost your phone’s security with a VPN
PopSci: “When your phone connects to the web, prying eyes can snoop on every site you visit. To protect your privacy, put a virtual private network, or VPN, between your phone and the internet. Instead of connecting directly to a website, you’ll connect to your VPN’s servers, which will then route you to the page.… Continue Reading
How to securely store and share sensitive files
PopSci: “Your computer is not as secure as you think. If you use it to store sensitive information—think tax forms, legal documents, and other files—you need to take extra steps to keep that data safe from prying eyes. Stashing sensitive files on your computer is much more convenient than hoarding stacks of papers in filing… Continue Reading
IT Q&A for Solo, Small Firm and General Practice
ABA: Q: What Should I Do If Someone Hacks into Our Computers?; Q: How Do I Wipe My iPhone Before Turning It In for an Upgrade?; and Q: My Home Internet Service Is Lousy. What Can I Do about It? Continue Reading
The best free backup software and services
PC World: “Finding a good free backup solution is easier than you’d think. A host of companies offer free online backup or free backup software—and perhaps surprisingly, nearly all of them are quite competent. Of course these companies have ulterior motives. Their free versions usually only provide enough storage for essential data, or lack some… Continue Reading
You Need to Be Using a VPN on Your Phone
CNET – “Here’s How to Set it Up in Under 10 Minutes Protecting your privacy on your phone with a VPN is essential, and it’s easier to set up than you may think…VPNs are easier to use on your phone than you may think, and most are less expensive than you might expect. Here’s how… Continue Reading
The secret police: Cops built a shadowy surveillance machine in Minnesota after George Floyd’s murder
“An investigation by MIT Technology Review reveals a sprawling, technologically sophisticated system in Minnesota designed for closely monitoring protesters. Law enforcement agencies in Minnesota have been carrying out a secretive, long-running surveillance program targeting civil rights activists and journalists in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Run under a consortium… Continue Reading
The American Oversight nonprofit organization has published more than 10,000 sets of documents
“The American Oversight nonprofit organization has published more than 10,000 sets of documents amounting to more than a million pages of records, as well as the FOIA requests and responses that produced those records. They can be viewed and searched here: https://www.americanoversight.org/documents. American Oversight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that uses public records requests backed by… Continue Reading
How the Senate’s new cybersecurity legislation could affect your business
TechRepublic: “The Senate passed a piece of legislation on Tuesday, detailing new cybersecurity measures that would force businesses to report cyberattacks and ransomware payments. The Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act aims to continue the Biden administration’s effort to make both the public and private sectors better defended online. With the act passing through the Senate, it… Continue Reading
The Quiet Way Advertisers Are Tracking Your Browsing
Wired: “Creepy cookies that track all your online activity are (slowly) being eradicated. In recent years major web browsers, including Safari and Firefox, have restricted the practice. Even Chrome has realized that cookies present a privacy nightmare. But stopping them ends only one kind of online tracking—others are arguably worse. Fingerprinting, which involves gathering detailed… Continue Reading
The Grammarly tradeoff: Is better writing worth exposing business data?
Protocol: “Writing tools including Grammarly use data from users to train their AI. Some businesses, especially those making products or software, worry it puts their intellectual property at risk. People using writing assistants at work might love sending polished emails to colleagues or crafting smarter company social media posts. Their company’s IT and legal teams… Continue Reading
Cybersecurity Tools Lie Unused in Federal Agencies’ Toolbox
Lawfare: “Concerns over the possible Russian use of cyber weapons against U.S. domestic critical infrastructure in connection with the Ukraine crisis—warnings renewed on Feb. 11—should prompt reconsideration of the still-deferential posture of U.S. cybersecurity policy toward much of the private sector. Once again, though, complaints against “government mandates” may block action.For more than 30 years,… Continue Reading
