Staying safer online – our best of digital safety list

Photo: flickr/CyberHades

DW Akademie devoted the whole of the week December 2- December 6, 2013 to the issue of Digital Safety for Journalists. As well as live online sessions on the topic, we also tackled issues on our digital safety blog important to reporters who want to or need to keep their activities away from prying eyes. Here is a list of some of the posts that can put you on the road to a more secure digital life.

A good starting point is to determine how much digital security you really need. In What’s your threat? Working out your security needs, we talk with Jonathan Stray, a Columbia Journalism School professor, about how to put together a “threat model” for yourself and your situation, and how to act based on it.

We’ve also talked with someone who knows first-hand about the uncomfortable reach of some government authorities. In Know your enemy!” Security tips from Tunisian cyberactivist Slim Amamou, readers will get real-world advice about what to do if your fear persecution because of your online activities.

Several posts look at ways to maintain your privacy and our authors test drive software to see how easy or difficult it is to install and use.

Using the Tor network is cited by many security experts as a good way to keep your internet activities under wraps and bypass censorship. In Hiding your online identity: Trialling Tor in Cambodia, we take this global system of routers that can throw spies off your tail for a test run in Cambodia.

Secure your surfing with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) explores another way to stay anonymous online. VPNs create “tunnels” though which your data goes over the wider internet, shielding it from others. They’re especially important for people who travel or use networks they don’t own, like at a café or airport.

Graphic: flickr/One Way Stock

Continuing on the topic of surfing, Your browser’s ‘fingerprints’ and how to reduce them looks at how advertisers and others with more malevolent intentions can identify you by collecting bits of information about your browser. We talk with IT expert Henning Tillmann about how it works and how you can make your fingerprint harder to read.

Some people think Skype is the way to go to keep their conversations private. Well, the post Think Skype is safe? Think again will disabuse you of that notion, and give you alternatives.

In the wake of revelations about the NSA’s spying program, some privacy advocates have almost thrown up their hands in surrender. But they shouldn’t. Is encryption still worth the trouble? You bet it is discusses why people who should know say encrypting your sensitive communications, while not a failsafe, it still the way to go to avoid interception.

But if a virus or other malware gets on your computer, even the best defenses against spying can be circumvented. That’s why strong anti-virus protection is an absolute must. Read Anti-virus software: Boosting your digital immune system for the basics of these nasty bugs and how to keep your computer and mobile devices healthy. We also test drive virus detection software that runs from your USB, so you can make sure the internet café computer you’re using is safe.

Services, apps and platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Gmail, Dropbox, etc. are incredibly useful for journalists. But What are the risks of using Skype, Facebook, WhatsApp and Co.? explores their downsides regarding privacy and discuss ways to user them more safely.

There’s lots more on the blog, including wrap-ups of our workshop sessions, so surf on over and get more useful information on staying safe and secure online.

Written by Kyle James, edited by Kate Hairsine