Privacy |
On this page I will be sharing resources and writings about how you as a consumer can better protect your privacy. Many of these resources are derived from classes that I teach at the University of Vermont.
These materials are my personal work product developed as a university lecturer and do not reflect the policies or priorities of the Vermont Attorney General. These materials do not constitute legal advice.
Resources
There are a lot of great resources available online. Here are some that I prepared for my classes, pages with more up-to-date information, and links to particularly interesting writing on the subject.
My Publications
- Regulators Should Rethink 'Reasonable Data Security' (originally published in Law 360 April 8, 2019)
My guides, primers, and checklists
Protect Yourself Checklist
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I am often asked, "What can I do to protect my privacy?" Here is everything I could think of to protect your privacy. Not everyone will want to do everything, so I highlighted the big ones. Feel free to propose other ideas.
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Passwords & Dual-Factor Authentication
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You have probably been told a million times that you need a strong password. Here I explain in excruciating detail why you need to change your password behaviors, and how.
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Privacy-Mindedness
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While much of privacy involves technological fixes and adjustments, a lot relies on you changing your behaviors, online and offline. Here is a list of all the ways you can change your behaviors to be more privacy-minded.
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Opting Out
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There are many places online and off where you can request that you not be tracked or have your data collected. It isn't ideal that the onus is on you to do this, but here are all the places where you can opt out of data collection.
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General Online Resources
Consumer News and Guides:
- Consumer Reports is always a good resource for privacy. This guide is frequently updated and has the latest news.
- Consumer Reports is also starting to test products for privacy concerns through their Digital Lab.
- Restore Privacy publishes a number of helpful guides, and also has news and reviews.
- Mozilla has a website that reviews Internet of Things products based on privacy.
- If you are interested in privacy policy and staying up to date on developments in the privacy world, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has a lot of information.
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) also focuses on privacy issues, as well as other internet issues.
- The World Privacy Forum does a lot of great work in this area.
- Reddit has a good forum on privacy news.
- The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). offers certifications for those considering a career in privacy and has a lot of great resources.
Articles and Resources by Topic
I come across a lot of interesting writing and resources online which I share with my students. I will post these here as well, by topic (this will take some time).
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Why I care about Privacy
Privacy (and Data Security), started off as a job thing, but it soon became a passion. We are at a critical spot in our country's history (for more reasons than one) -- the decisions we make about Privacy now will shape our society for the next century.
Data has often been likened to oil -- the commodity that fuels the information economy. 100 years ago, oil was the fuel of the industrial economy. Think about how oil has shaped the world since then. If we had adopted different polices in the 1900s, the world would look much different now. I hope we don't make the same mistakes in developing data policy.
As an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Vermont, I approach Privacy from a consumer protection and antitrust perspective. That is, I focus on how privacy policy and enforcement will best protect consumers. In doing so I apply Vermont's Consumer Protection Act and any other laws available. Right now I think a lot of people would agree that consumers aren't being as protected as they could, because the law hasn't developed at the pace of technology.
I like to joke that my job is to help prevent a dystopian future that happened five years ago.
Data has often been likened to oil -- the commodity that fuels the information economy. 100 years ago, oil was the fuel of the industrial economy. Think about how oil has shaped the world since then. If we had adopted different polices in the 1900s, the world would look much different now. I hope we don't make the same mistakes in developing data policy.
As an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Vermont, I approach Privacy from a consumer protection and antitrust perspective. That is, I focus on how privacy policy and enforcement will best protect consumers. In doing so I apply Vermont's Consumer Protection Act and any other laws available. Right now I think a lot of people would agree that consumers aren't being as protected as they could, because the law hasn't developed at the pace of technology.
I like to joke that my job is to help prevent a dystopian future that happened five years ago.
© 2020 Ryan Kriger