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- Start using a browser and search engine that protect your privacy rather than ransack it. Download Brave and switch your default search engine to DuckDuckGo.
- Secure your email accounts with good passwords and turn on two factor authentication (apps like Authy are better than SMS messages which are better than nothing). Hereās how.
- Start using a password manager today. Bitwarden is great and offers free and super-cheap accounts. Donāt wait to start. You can adjust your system to meet your needs as you go, and if it Bitwarden doesnāt work for you, itās easy to export your data and move it somewhere else.
- Secure your home and church networks.
- Backup your data so it can be recovered in case of loss. Having local, physical backups and offsite electronic backups is a good idea. I like Backblaze.
- Install a VPN on your mobile devices. If you donāt know what that is, make it easy on yourself and just sign up for Tunnelbear. Again, you can always switch later.
- Lock down your privacy settings. Start with your most important accounts and devices first.
- Get away from businesses that require your personal data to make money. Visit nomoregoogle.com and ethical.net to find better tools.
- Own your own data. Instead of giving away your data for free to social media companies, take back control of your online presence by having your own website and posting there first. This once was difficult, but now itās easy and cheap with services like Micro.blog and Blot.im.
Beautiful beans from Bonita Bean in Willcox, AZ.
Took the kids up to Mt. Hopkins today. We stopped just up the road from from the Smithsonian Whipple Observatory. Down the hill, this momma and calf were on the open range.
For Day 8: Contrast…this coloring book cover. š
<img src=“https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/4821/2020/b8ff1ceb85.jpg" width=“600” height=“600” alt=““Happy Times with God’s Creation” coloring book cover features fox hunting its prey” />
Iām late to the photoblog challenge, but Iāve got a great one for todayās word: Above.
Churches Should Protect Their Data. Tips and Links!
Dear Church leaders,
How are you doing at protecting the valuable data of your church and its members? Whether itās less private information like the church bylaws, or very private information like membership directories, financial transactions, and personal messages, churches have a responsibility to keep its data safe.
Of course, thereās no such thing as perfect security, but there is such a thing as due diligence. And some of us arenāt doing a very good job.
Let me encourage you in this way: start thinking about protecting information online like you would offline. For example, if you wouldnāt counsel a couple whose marriage is falling apart in the middle of a public coffee shop, then neither should you send sensitive emails to that couple over that coffee shopās public WiFi.
The data we possess as leaders of the church is valuable and we should treat it as such. Losing data, because of a hardware crash or a thief can be very expensive to recover and can even alter some peopleās lives.
This means that as leaders we need to follow good practices, like the ones listed below. We also need to help shape a culture in our churches that thinks about safety not only in the nursery and in the classroom but also on the Internet. Because as a body what we do effects each other, and the good work you do can be undone if others in the church donāt their part.
Everyone can learn more at stopthinkconnect.org. But let’s get some things done today.
Here are three simple things you can do today.
Here are three things you could do this month.
Having fun? Want to level up?
Learning to use the Internet safely is empowering. And itās easier than the other ethical alternative: disconnecting from the internet. Because if you canāt use it safely, then you shouldnāt use it.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, just go back to the things you can do today. The tools I suggest are well-respected, easy to use, and inexpensive. And if you donāt like them, you can always switch later. Youāll feel good having taken a step in the right direction.
To learn more, follow the links above and consider subscribing to a couple blogs to keep current on the issues.
See you online.
Happy Data Privacy Day. Learn more: staysafeonline.org.
My daughter and I are learning about God’s amazing planet Saturn.
If all goes well, these pieces of birch plywood are going to become tap dance practice pads for my kids.
Last Saturday I went to Cello Christmas 2019 hosted by super-teacher Mary Beth Tyndall. About 40 cellists playing Christmas tunes, a scroll decorating contest, and lots of smiles.
