Choose Privacy Week 2019

I recently (like today) discovered that we are in the middle of “Choose Privacy Week” of 2019. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom created a website back in 2010, now known as Choose Privacy Every Day, which gives librarians and the general public information about how to develop best practices for online privacy.

While many of us may be unconcerned about our rights to privacy, libraries should be concerned. Taken from an article written by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, libraries should be concerned about protecting patron’s privacy because:

“We can do actual harm to our community and patrons if we aren’t fulfilling our duty in protecting the privacy of our patrons information.”

“Privacy matters because without freedom of movement we cannot have freedom of speech.”

“Privacy in libraries isn’t just about safeguarding patron records or internet usage. It’s about making patrons feel welcome when they enter the building, that they know that their pursuits are their own, and that we’re there to assist them without judgment.”

In looking at ALA’s website chooseprivacyeveryday.org, I came across a resource titled, “Tools to Protect User Privacy.” Intrigued, I found a whole host of things, including a link to a podcast series called, “The Privacy Paradox.” I thought I would include a link to first podcast episode here, which is all about becoming more aware of the data our phone is collecting on us, and who it is sharing it with. Click here to check out “Day 1: What Your Phone Knows.”

(Photo by: John Hersey)