A bigger part of the world’s workforce is transitioning to digital platforms and the tools that help with the productivity and the connection are the educational and healthcare platforms, messaging apps, and video conferencing, to name a few. It is crucial to know the ways such tools can affect your digital security and privacy during the coronavirus pandemic.
Below are a few things you need to know to help you make informed decisions when it comes to finding what works not only for you but for your communities as well. You’ll also learn how you can use privacy and security best practices to protect yourself as well as others.
Free Slacks
There are a lot of articles written about the data retention issues of Slack especially when it comes to the software’s free version. With several organizing groups and mutual aid networks coalescing on Slack to support the communities, it’s crucial for users to be aware that the firm keeps their messages when they’re using the free plan and the could not delete them automatically. Slack, by default keeps all of the messages in a channel or workplace as long as the workspace still exists.
For paid workspaces, you can alter the number of messages that are kept in the database of Slack. In case you are using the free version, this option won’t be available to you.
Schools Moving to Online Learning
Surveillance must not be a required to get an education. However, even before school districts began moving their coursework and classes to digital forums to follow the social distancing protocols, surveillance has become a common thing in schools. The possibility of surveillance to ramp up is alarming especially because of the move to digital learning.
If your school is utilizing or thinking of using Gaggle, Social Sentinel, GoGuardian, Bark, and Securly, then you should check the guide to privacy for students. It tackles several surveillance and privacy concerns that such techonlogies raise, with methods to cut back the data that’s being tracked, advocacy methods, and risk mitigation strategies.
Telehealth and Non-HIPAA Platforms
The HHS has changed the HIPPA regulations during the coronavirus pandemic, letting health care providers to utilize applications like Facebook Messenger, FaceTime, Skype, Hangouts, Zoom, and etc so they’ can remotely provide care to their patients. In case your health care provider is using a platform or application that’s not covered by the HIPAA, you should ask them about the security measures they have in place to make sure that your privacy is protected at all times. You should also ask what their timelines and plans are for moving to other platforms that are HIPAA compliant.
Tools for Assessing Risk and Staying Safe Online
If you know how to minimize risk then you can keep yourself as well as others safe when there’s crisis. Here are a few tips you need to know if you want to improve your IT security Myrtle Beach.
- Assess the select the tools or software that you use to make sure that they work for you
- Find out about the very best cybersecurity practices when communicating with other people and add them into your tools and routines
- Create strong passwords by using a password manager
- Make sure that you have enabled 2FA for as many accounts as you can
- Know what your needs are and select the perfect VPN for you
