{"id":128870,"date":"2014-07-08T17:58:09","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T17:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?p=128870"},"modified":"2014-07-08T17:58:09","modified_gmt":"2014-07-08T17:58:09","slug":"local-library-can-help-resist-surveillance-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/breaking-news\/local-library-can-help-resist-surveillance-state\/","title":{"rendered":"How your local library can help you resist the surveillance state"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melissa Morrone<\/em><\/p>\n

A woman was trying to apply for a job at a major retailer. She had to fill out an online form that prompted her to create a username and password, and then enter personal information down to the last four digits of her Social Security number.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know if it\u2019s real?\u201d she asked me, already agitated because her computer session was about to time out. The last time she tried to do something like this, she ended up on some sort of scam website.<\/p>\n

As a librarian, I talk with people all the time who are uncertain about who and what to trust online. Teaching information literacy, whether in a classroom or one-on-one, is a big part of what we do, and knowing how to use the Internet safely is an ever more important skill given the extent to which online platforms are part of our lives. But public library staff, overworked and under-funded, often aren\u2019t equipped to assist their communities with tasks such as learning to use encryption and anti-tracking tools. We have a critical function in technology education, and there\u2019s so much more we could be doing.<\/p>\n

\"3765063_808346c194_b\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often said that most people nowadays have given up on privacy and simply accept the loss of control over their data. But the fact is that\u00a086 percent<\/a>\u00a0of adult Internet users in the United States have taken some sort of step to protect their identity or activity online. Well-publicized security breaches and revelations about surveillance over the last couple of years \u2013\u00a0Target<\/a>,\u00a0Heartbleed<\/a>,\u00a0the NSA<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 have further raised awareness of the need to secure our data as much as possible. People aren\u2019t apathetic; they feel helpless in the face of the bewildering array of threats they face, frequently lacking the time and computer skills to adequately evaluate websites and online tools.<\/p>\n

Privacy is about control<\/b><\/p>\n

Where do public libraries come in? Well, they\u00a0continue to play a significant role<\/a>\u00a0in many people\u2019s lives. Libraries are well-regarded institutions. Librarians organize and preserve scholarship and cultural production. We put books and articles in your hands. We read to your children, suggest research techniques and show you how to use a mouse. We help you find information about the medical tests you\u2019re scheduled to undergo, the civil service exam you want to pass and the self-help books you want to read.<\/p>\n

Libraries have also tended to take a strong stand on privacy. The third principle in theAmerican Library Association\u2019s Code of Ethics<\/a>\u00a0is, \u201cWe protect each library user\u2019s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.\u201d As Iowa public librarian Laura Crossett\u00a0likes to tell people<\/a>, your library record is as confidential as your medical records \u2013 if not more so.<\/p>\n

Your book-borrowing history is not the only thing your library manages. There areover 16,000 public library buildings in the United States<\/a>, and nearly every one offers computers and Internet access. At all hours of the day, my library is full of people online \u2013 connecting their laptops or tablets to our free Wi-Fi, or using one of our desktop computers. Many of those who come to libraries for Internet access are among the most vulnerable in our society, and without the resources libraries provide they might not have access at all.<\/p>\n

Privacy, in the end, is about control. It doesn\u2019t mean that people don\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t put personal information online; it means that we want to share that data with whom we intend to share it, in ways that we understand, and on platforms from which we can easily and permanently remove our information if we change our minds. Google, Facebook and other major Internet corporations, by contrast, may be\u00a0calling on the U.S. government to curb surveillance<\/a>, but they have their own plans for how to turn our data that they collect and retain into shareholder value.<\/p>\n

Anchor institutions<\/b><\/p>\n

Like any other institution, of course, libraries are beholden to interests, which can inhibit their potential. Library staff as well as patrons are heavy users of Google and other big-data platforms, and in some cases these companies are looking to partner with libraries. E-books and digital rights management present privacy issues within library collections.\u00a0Library trustees<\/a>\u00a0often come from the business sector or other layers of municipal power structures and may bring correspondingly conservative outlooks to library operations. Due to convenience and limited in-house resources, it\u2019s typically easiest for our IT departments to focus on deploying well-known proprietary operating systems and applications, such as Microsoft products, rather than free and open source alternatives such as Linux. Library directors also have to be conscious of the potential liability of engaging in politicized projects. This can amount to a\u00a0challenging environment for teaching people about liberatory uses of technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At Brooklyn Public Library, some colleagues and I worked with the researcher Seeta Pe\u00c3\u00b1a Gangadharan on a\u00a0digital inclusion study<\/a>\u00a0that involved discussions among many staff about what we see library users doing and knowing \u2013 and\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0doing and\u00a0not<\/i>knowing \u2013 when it comes to Internet safety and security. We also talked about our own areas of unfamiliarity and ignorance and started envisioning some ways we could do better. In addition to the usual email basics and word processing classes, for instance, what about workshops in coding, encryption and safer web browsing?\u00a0Last month<\/a>, my library hosted a\u00a0CryptoParty<\/a>\u00a0that attracted almost 40 people representing a range of tech savvy. This past fall, we put together a panel on online surveillance called \u201cNothing to Hide?\u201d (You can watch\u00a0each of the<\/a>\u00a0speakers<\/a>\u00a0online<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Massachusetts public librarian Alison Macrina manages her library\u2019s IT department and also works at the reference desk. She told me that once library users catch wind that she knows about technology, they seek her out to talk about things they don\u2019t necessarily bring up with other staff. \u201cThey\u2019ll say, \u2018Oh, you know about this? Let me ask you all these questions I\u2019ve had on my mind,\u2019\u201d she said. She recommends browser plugins and advises people to consider covering their laptops\u2019 built-in cameras. Recently she installed\u00a0HTTPS Everywhere<\/a>\u00a0so that people using her library\u2019s public computers browse the web with secure connections. She\u2019s planning, with advice from the ACLU and other privacy advocates, to teach a two-part class in local branches this summer called \u201cPrivacy and Security in Your Online Life,\u201d which will serve as a template for other libraries. Macrina, social science researcher\u00a0Jessa Lingel<\/a>\u00a0and some other librarians have also put together a\u00a0zine<\/a>\u00a0about anti-surveillance resources under the auspices of\u00a0Radical Reference<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty easy to find\u00a0privacy tips<\/a>\u00a0online<\/a>, but nothing compares to having a trusted and experienced person to guide you through the process of deciding what to install on your laptop or how to make your smartphone more secure. Libraries are an existing network that can be harnessed to create a society with the skills and resources to protect privacy and digital rights. Library workers can also grasp the utility of a flexible\u201cdigital harm reduction\u201d framework<\/a>\u00a0that takes into account the fact that, for better or worse, people are going to be communicating with loved ones via Facebook, logging into their primary email accounts over our public WiFi networks and entering their Social Security numbers into government websites on computers that may not be their own. As Seeta Pe\u00c3\u00b1a Gangadharan\u00a0argues<\/a>, \u201cData literacy can\u2019t be taught by parachute or evangelism. The best thing would be to give resources to schools, libraries, and other community anchor institutions to teach this new material.\u201d<\/p>\n

One library at a time<\/b><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re knowledgeable about technology, consider proposing a workshop to your local library. Keep in mind that training a diverse group of adults, especially on a technical topic, involves more thought than simply preparing a procedural class that goes through individual tools. Be sure to\u00a0explain the principles<\/a>\u00a0behind them and, crucially, how they fit into people\u2019s worlds and why they should care.<\/p>\n

<\/a>If you work in a library, how can you\u00a0expand the privacy paradigm<\/a>\u00a0to include protecting not just your patrons\u2019 book borrowing histories but also\u00a0their communications online<\/a>? Library staff work closely with all sorts of people, but our worldview can be shuttered. How can we librarians diversify our ranks and recognize how race, along with other identities and life experiences,\u00a0affects how people react to a surveillance state<\/a>? Laura Crossett regularly distributes a handout about privacy at her library, a section of which asks, \u201cIs privacy a right or a privilege? Do corporations protect your privacy? Does government? Do you protect your own privacy?\u201d These types of high-level questions should help direct our work in libraries, and we should be encouraging members of the public to reflect on them as well.<\/p>\n

Librarianship may be shaped by the broader society, but it is also marked by opposition to a dominant commercial culture. Librarian Barbara Fister\u00a0reminds us<\/a>\u00a0that libraries do something Google and Amazon don\u2019t do: \u201cWe serve communities, not just customers, and our goal is the common good, not profits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public libraries\u2019 roles are currently evolving, with shifts to focus on digital resources, knowledge creation (in addition to consumption) and \u201cmaking.\u201d I think, amidst this re-imagining, we have to claim an educational role that meets the need for guidance in a confusing digital world. In addition to instructing people on using e-readers and dealing with two million search engine results, we should be supporting resistance to life under surveillance. Collective action can push us there, which means communities must demand these services and expertise from their libraries \u2013 along with levels of funding to ensure they are as autonomous as tax-funded establishments can be, including from the tech industry.<\/p>\n

The library is one of the few institutions that has the potential to organize communities to access and produce information responsibly and safely. Libraries connect people with resources, facilitate inquiry and popular education, and are accessible and highly trusted. For the growing movement fighting for an alternative to a culture of surveillance, they are an excellent place to start.<\/p>\n

This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News<\/a> with permission or license.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Melissa Morrone A woman was trying to apply for a job at a major retailer. She had to fill out an online form that prompted her to create a username and password, and then enter personal information down to the last four digits of her Social Security number. \u201cHow do you know if it\u2019s real?\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[487,1614],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-128870","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-breaking-news","7":"category-surveillance-big-brother"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128870\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}