Improve your online safety

The broader context

Today is Safer Internet Day (SID). We wanted to showcase an online tool that can provide practical advice for safer internet use — for everyone.

Security Planner provides recommendations on implementing basic online practices, such as: enabling two-factor authentication on important accounts, making sure software stays updated with the latest bug fixes, and using encrypted chats to protect private communications.

This is a project of the Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary group based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. Security Planner recommendations are made by a committee of experts in digital security and have gone through a rigorous peer review evaluation of experts from universities, nonprofits, and the private sector.

The people at Citizen Lab realize that “we now count on digital tools to keep our information safe and a growing slice of our private life…private. There are big questions about whether the devices and services we use respect our privacy and if they adequately safeguard our information. Has a good balance been struck? Many of us are not sure. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenge of how to be safer online.”

We went inside the Security Planner tool in order to show you what to expect. Take a look:

The main page gives you a clear call to action to start.

Continue reading

February 2018 Events (BC-wide, Online)

Events, The broader context

Bookmark this post! It will be updated as more events are announced. You can also get frequent updates via our Twitter. Have a suggestion? Email us.

  • February 1-28 (various dates): Seniors First BC presents several workshops for seniors in Pender Harbour, Sechelt, Vancouver, Coquitlam, and Richmond.
    • Thursday, February 1 (1:00-3:00pm) Advance Care Planning against Elder Financial Abuse – Pender Harbour Community Hall, Madeira Park
    • Thursday, February 1 (6:30-8:30pm) Advance Care Planning against Elder Financial Abuse – Seaside Centre, Sechelt
    • Tuesday, February 6 (1:00-2:00pm) Powers of Attorney, Joint Bank Accounts and Representation Agreements – Thunderbird Community Centre, Vancouver
    • Thursday, February 15 (1:00-2:30pm) Powers of Attorney, Joint Bank Accounts and Representation Agreements – Glen Pine Pavilion, Coquitlam
    • Wednesday, February 28 (1:00-3:00pm) Bullying between Older Adults in Communal Settings – Richmond Public Library – Brighouse branch
  • February 1-20 (various dates): Plan Institute presents information sessions and a workshop by phone and in Vancouver:
    • Thursday, February 1 (10:00am-12:00pm) Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning Workshop – Plan Institute Office, Suite 260 – 3665 Kingsway, Vancouver. Cost: $65.00 per person or $90.00 for two. Register online here.
    • Wednesday, February 7 (10:00am-12:00pm) Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) – teleseminar by phone/computer. Cost: free. Register online here.
    • Tuesday, February 20 (10:00am-12:00pm) Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) – Plan Institute Office, Suite 260 – 3665 Kingsway, Vancouver (Feb 20). Cost: free. Register online here.
  • February 1-17 (various dates): the BC government is hosting community meetings across the province to help inform its Poverty Reduction Strategy.
    • Thursday, February 1 (6:00-8:30pm) Princess Margaret Secondary School, Surrey
    • Friday, February 2 (2:30-5:00pm) Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex, Williams Lake
    • Saturday, February 3 (10:00am-12:30pm) Quesnel Tillicum Society Native Friendship Centre, Quesnel
    • Thursday, February 8 (4:30-7:00pm) Senior Citizens Hall, Cranbrook:
    • Friday, February 9 (1:00-3:30pm) TBD, Nelson
    • Saturday, February 17 (1:30-4:00pm) Prince George Native Friendship Centre, Prince George

The door opens half an hour early and a hot meal will be provided. Supports are available to help you participate. Get more information here.

  •  February 5-20 (various dates): People’s Law School presents several classes for the public on the following topics in Burnaby and Vancouver:
    • Monday, February 5 (7:00-8:30 pm) Employment Law – Burnaby Public Library – Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch
    • Thursday, February 15 (7:00-9:30pm) Probating a Will – Burnaby Public Library – McGill Branch
    • Thursday, February 15 (7:00-8:30pm) Writing Your Will – Burnaby Public Library – Tommy Douglas Branch
    • Tuesday, February 20 (6:30-8:00pm) Residential Tenancy for Landlords – Dunbar Community Centre, Vancouver

Open to everyone. Speakers: Ayesha Chaudhry, Canada Research Chair in Religion, Law and Social Justice, University of British Columbia, and Sarah Khan, BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

 

Join us for a free public talk on the BC Supreme Courts decision to end indefinite solitary confinement. Panelists will be unpacking the decision, its impact on prison justice and mapping what’s to come. Get more information here.

A conversation with BC’s most distinguished public-sector jurist on Child Protection, Conflicted Premiers, the Suppression of Protests, and the Public Interest. Ted Hughes will be interviewed by CBC journalist Laura Lynch, with special guests David Eby, QC, Attorney-General of BC; Maureen Maloney, SFU, former Deputy Attorney-General of BC and Dean of Law at UVic.

This event is free and open to everyone.

The march honours the lives of missing and murdered women and all women’s lives lost in the Downtown Eastside. March begins at Main Street and E. Hastings, Vancouver. Get more information here. BC Civil Liberties Association supporters will congregate in front of RBC at 11:45 AM.

  • February 14-15 (various dates): Law for Nonprofits presents workshops in Vancouver and Cranbrook.
    • Wednesday, February 14 (9:30 am-12:00 pm) Privacy 101 at BC Alliance for Arts + Culture, Vancouver. The fee is $50. City of Vancouver Bursaries available. Get more information and register online here.
    • Thursday, February 15 (6:00-7:30pm MST) Societies Act Transition Workshop at College of the Rockies – Cranbrook Campus. Free for societies who have registered with the East Kootenay Transition Hub. Get more information and register online here.

We offer social support and share legal resources in a confidential setting. This group is run by Self Represented Litigants for Self Represented Litigants. We have a great group with lots of experience to share! We meet monthly. Spaces are limited – RSVP by email: NSSN.vancouver@gmail.com.

We would like to invite you to attend our 2018 Post-Valentine’s Dance Fundraiser. This fundraiser is a community-building event that will be attended by caregivers, migrant workers, and their friends. Your attendance contributes towards advocating on behalf of some of the most precarious workers in our province, and your solidarity contributes to ensuring justice for all workers. As well, we will be celebrating the launch of our organization’s new name—the Migrant Workers Centre! Get more information and buy your tickets here.

This year, on Pink Shirt Day, a national day of bullying prevention, YWCA Metro Vancouver and Hootsuite have partnered to host #Cyberbullying, a discussion exploring how race and gender are connected to cyberbullying. Join us for an interactive panel discussion that will feature experts, advocates and youth discussing the root causes, effects, and themes surrounding cyberbullying. One of the speakers will be Dr. Wanda Cassidy from SFU Centre for Education, Law and Society. Register online for this free event here.

Stay informed:

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