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This guide was created in May 2018 by Nicole Gustavsen (gustni@uw.edu), a Campus Library reference & instruction librarian. It is maintained jointly by Nicole and by Myra Waddell (myraw@uw.edu), the Campus Library computer science & business librarian. Please email Nicole or Myra with questions, comments or suggestions for the guide.
It seems every day that new information comes to light regarding data breaches, online privacy violations, and massive hacks. As our lives are lived more and more fully online, and as technology advances at a dizzying pace, it is imperative that we understand how to protect ourselves, our data, and our reputations online.
This guide will provide sound information and concrete steps you can take to protect and control your online identity:
Privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association. The courts have established a First Amendment right to receive information in a publicly funded library system like UW's. In a library, the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one's interests put them at risk for harm.