Tuesday Sweep: 21 August 2018

Your weekly reminder to back up your data, update software and otherwise pay attention to your digital environment. (Oh, and to head to the CRASH Space meeting…)

• On the blog
• On the repo
• See all the zones

Zone 03,  Permissions, who gets to see what and when. And if were talking about the Mastodon instance… I get to see it all!!! MWwwaahhhahahah.

In the announcement and the FAQ about our Mastodon instance I felt it was important to mention that the ActivityPub protocol keeps all the pitfalls of email, leaving admins like me with God Powers over the content on the servers.   The fact that CS members know me could be considered reassuring or stifling depending on the day. Would you rather be in a big city or a small town? At least in the Fediverse small towns actually get a say in how they’re run.  Small towns create a much stronger social contract, i.e. Tod would totally rat me out if I start spending my days reading other people’s private messages.  That said, in the long run, I’d like to see more situations where we don’t have to trust the pinky swear “It’s safe because I said so!” Moving this needle will likely take setting up regulations and governing bodies and auditors so nothing will be changing over night. In the mean time, please do have fun in the Fediverse, but if you want to send something more private, use Signal.

Jump in Here

• Welcome. If you haven’t been following along, it’s okay. You’re not behind, you’re just where you are.
• Need a instant pick me up? Jump straight to our Easy Wins.
• There are more recommendations under Start Here.
• Feeling more ambitious? Just wait for the Learn section!

Sweep

Weekly Basics

• Check that backup systems are actually running. (more)
• Update main computer(s), phone(s) and tablet(s). (more)
• Clean out and reset wallet/purse/laptop bag/vehicle. (more)
• Spend some time adding passwords to your password manager and updating flagged passwords. (more)
• Wipe down your main devices, physically! (more)
• What neglected inbox will you check today? (more)

This Week’s Focus:

Zone 03:  Permissions

• When in doubt, remember to use the website, not the App. (more)
• Spend 10 minutes moving unencrypted data (for example, email) older than ~3 months old to offline archive. (more)
• Keep using privacy minded browsers and search engines, Spend 5 minutes clearing cookies and history as needed. (more)
• Check dockets. Call your reps. (more)
• Don’t let apps see your contact book, or spend time moving sensitive contacts into something else. (more)
• (more)
• Review your standards, move closer to them. (more)
• Spend 10 minutes check your location sharing settings and clear out other location leaking data (more)
• Spend 10 minutes changing the default setting on a service you use, social media, navigation, search engines etc. (more)

Learn

News and Updates

Where do you scan for news, include a politics update!

• I spent too much time corrupting the Mastodon database, so I got nothing, well almost nothing:
• James Mickens on the Current State of Computer Security  It’s basically a send up of the fervor around machine learning by a charismatic speaker.

Engage

We are a community. You are a welcome part of it.

• Did you learn something cool in your sweep? Make something? Share it!
• Speak up
• Give
• Like going to conferences? Maybe one is coming up!
• Show up at CRASH Space.

Relax

BAAAABBBBBYYYYY ELEPHANNNTTS! Browse while listening to Baby Elephant Walk. I’m going to play it on loop every time I work on Mastodon now. New theme song for the rest of 2018 right here.