2022:Submissions/Digital Security Basics
- Language: English
- Status: Live
Speaker(s)[edit source]
Konstantin
Abstract[edit source]
Do you lock your door when you leave your house? Do you walk around with a name tag? Do you use the same key for your car and your office? Albeit seemingly dumb question whose answers are likely quite obvious, what steps are you taking to protect yourself online? Do you use different passwords for different accounts? Is your username simply your first and your last name? Do you have a picture of yourself on your userpage?
Although the offline may seem distinct to the online, online threats are just as valid and can be just as harmful. Join us for a beginner-friendly session on digital security best practices. We will begin with the very basics of what digital security entails and why you should care about it. We will also talk about some concepts and the pros and cons of some popular tools. The session will end with an open discussion to ask questions and hear about experiences from fellow Wikimedians.
Learning Outcomes[edit source]
- Learn why digital security matters
- Garner a basic understanding of digital security best practices and steps you can take to protect yourself online
- Engage in a discussion session about experiences with digital security from fellow Wikimedians
Biography[edit source]
I am Konstantin, the South Asia fellow, with the Foundation's Human Rights Team.
Session Resources[edit | edit source]
- Linked presentation: Wikimania 2022 - Digital Security Basics
- Linked session handout: Wikimania 2022 - Digital Security Basics Handout
- More digital security resources on the Human Rights Team's Meta page.
Session Q&A[edit | edit source]
Sincerest apologies that due to technical issues the interactivity of this session did not work out as planed. I was unable to access the chat till after the session had ended so I have compiled a Q&A below. If you have any further questions regarding digital security please feel free to ask them on our digital security resource discussion page.
If you have multiple passwords, how can all the passwords be memorised without writing them out? Any tool for collating and keeping several passwords safe? Which password manager do you use?
- Indeed it is! Password managers are great tools to do just that. Check out this course by Totem Project on “Secure Passwords” to answer all of the above questions and more. While you are at it, consider updating your Wikipedia password here.
Can I rename my Wikimedia account?
- Yes you can. Here you can get more information on how to go about that. Important to remember, however, is that account renames are recorded publicly. Depending on your reasons for renaming your account, it might be better to get a Wikipedia: Clean start.
Does the Incognito mode option work like a VPN?
- Incognito/Private mode is nothing like using a VPN. To put it simply, by using a VPN you are using another computer to connect the internet. This means your ISP (Internet Service Provider) cannot see who you are or anything that you do online (be mindful, however, that the VPN provider can. By using a VPN you shift your trust from your ISP to your VPN). Your device's IP address, the websites you visit, and your location are all undetectable. The only thing that your ISP can “see” when you're using a VPN is encrypted data traveling to a remote server. Incognito/Private mode, on the other hand, only hides your immediate past online activity. Depending on the browser, this means that your browser's history isn’t saved, cookies and other trackers are blocked and your login information is not saved. But for anyone snooping around your network, they can see your browsing activity.
Is it possible to get access to these slides?
- Yes, the slides have been added to the Wikimania session page along with the session handout and the link to the Team’s Meta page.