OLJ Task 14 – Areas of concern – Privacy and security

Source: vectorjuice / Freepik

“Based on your interests and/or workplace context, after exploring some of the above resources, reflect on your new learning about one of the above areas of concern (in terms of your possible work as an information professional) in a 350 word post in your learning journal.”

Like many of my millennial peers, we know Google and Facebook sell our personal information, and slightly sheepishly, I agreed with the students in Crocco et al. (2020): “It’s not like they’re selling your data to dangerous people” with the belief that data collection is the necessary tradeoff for having access to free websites. Grudgingly, I need to admit it goes beyond just being spammed with ads for shoes; data sharing can threaten democracy, as seen in targeted advertising during election campaigns (Dommett et al., 2023).

In both Crocco et al. (2020) and Marino’s (2021) articles, I found it interesting that the responsibility for keeping data private is on the user, not the provider. To some extent, I have taken steps to do this. I have the Ghostery extension on my laptop, a free, open-source ad blocker that prevents tracking. I also turn off personalisation and location history in my Google account. But how to achieve this if using a public library PC?

I visited my own library’s website to view their stance on responsibility. “We can’t guarantee the security of your information on our systems, and you are responsible for any losses resulting from information accessed via our resources. ” (Libraries Tasmania, n.d.).

The American Library Association (ALA) states “Many websites track user behavior and share data with third parties via cookies and other technologies.  The library should provide browsers and plugins that offer privacy protections when surfing the Web.  In addition, browsers should be configured to clear all data (cache, history, cookies, passwords) upon exit” (ALA, 2018). Comparing this to Australia’s library body, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), it does not mention tracking and data surveillance as part of their 2021 Standards and Guidelines for Australian Public Libraries which may be why Libraries Tasmania does not go into much detail on the subject.

Curious, I checked the cookies used on the LT homepage. Eight sites were identified, all analytics tools from companies LT uses to create, host or share on their website. While the insights gathered would assist with improving the user experience, the question is where the data is being used outside of LT

(359 words).

Screenshot from Ghostery based on www.libraries.tas.gov.au

References

American Library Association. (2018). Library privacy guidelines for public access computers and networks. American Library Association. (2018). Library privacy guidelines for public access computers and networks. Library Privacy Guidelines for Public Access Computers and Networks – Choose Privacy Every Day

Crocco, M. S., Segall, A., Halvorsen, A.-L., Stamm, A., & Jacobsen, R. (2020). “It’s not like they’re selling your data to dangerous people”: Internet privacy, teens, and (non-)controversial public issues. Journal of Social Studies Research, 44(1), 21-33.

Dommett, K., Barclay, A., & Gibson, R. (2023). Just what is data-driven campaigning? A systematic review. Information, Communication & Society, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2023.2166794

Libraries Tasmania. (n.d.) Computers and internet access. https://libraries.tas.gov.au/public-libraries/computers-internet-access/

Marino, B. (2021). Privacy concerns and the prevalence of third-party tracking cookies on ARL library homepages. Reference Services Review, 49(2), 115-131. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-03-2021-0009

Me and my shadow. (n.d.). Take control of your data. https://myshadow.org/