IN THE HEADLINES
Thinking you want to #deletefacebook? Here’s some advice from around the web.
- Step one: If you’re not “utterly horrified” yet, this article in The Guardian will help. A Facebook whistleblower says he warned Facebook back in 2011 that it should protect user data better from third-party developers to avoid a “black market” for user data. He alleges executives consciously turned a blind eye to abuses.
- So what might Facebook and all these third-party developers have on you? If you want a Flashback Friday on steroids (or just to archive your data before you delete your account), CNBC offers this primer on how to download the “entire history of your life on Facebook.”
- Next, ask yourself, do you have what it takes (to delete rather than deactivate)? The Washington Post talked with people who tried.
- As an additional anti-surveillance measure, you can block Facebook’s tracking with Privacy Badger, the Electronic Frontier Foundation reports.
- A big reason Cambridge Analytica was able to exploit people’s data was because Facebook allowed third-party developers to access more user data than it should have. While what those apps can access has now been reduced to your name, profile and email address, you might also want to check which apps you’ve allowed to access your data in the past. You can see and delete apps you don’t trust under Settings / Apps. But note that, as CNNMoney explains, you may have to reach out to the app to have them delete your data on their end too.
- If by now you’re entirely fed up, you can always pack your passport and move to Europe. There, a new law, the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will take effect on May 25, 2018. It has profound ramifications for any company who does business in the EU (including U.S. companies like Facebook). Among other things, it gives consumers greater protection over and access to their data; imposes financial penalties for companies that fail to protect it; and requires active consent to companies’ data protection practices. WiredUK breaks it down for you.
TROLLBUSTERS IN THE NEWS
Gap Analysis Yields New Projects, New Partnerships
At the Internet Freedom Festival, Michelle Ferrier, founder of TrollBusters, led a design-thinking workshop of digital security advocates to identify needs and global activities. She used a matrix that examined impacts on journalists before, during and after an attack and the research, education, policy and technical work being done to support freedom of expression, digital security and other supports for journalists. Read more about the matrix of resources that emerged from the session (and how you can add to it).
Assess Your Threat–in Russian, Turkish and Hindi
ON YOUR TO-DO LIST
Resources You Can Use
If you haven’t checked on the security of your personal information in awhile, take a moment to safeguard against online abuse using TrollBusters’ digital hygiene course.
Then, check out these other great resources on the web.
- #HerNetHerRights, by the European Women’s Lobby, is a resource pack on ending violence against women and girls in Europe.
- This Digital First Aid Kit from Rapid Response Network is available in six languages.
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