Event details: Wednesday 12th July, 6.30pm The Regent’ Room The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Lower Briggate, Leeds.
The Workshop is FREE and will start at 6.30PM ending at around 8.30PM.
Please arrive from 6.15PM onwards so you can get a seat and setup your laptop etc.
https://www.meetup.com/ORG-Leeds/events/241305212/ Facebook www.facebook.com/orgleeds
Did you know that at the end of 2016 you lost your right to online privacy?
In passing the Investigatory Powers Act (aka Snoopers Charter) the UK now has the most extreme surveillance regime of any western democracy.
Our communications can now be monitored and analysed, our location tracked, the apps we use and websites we visit stored for up to 12 months; regardless of whether we are suspected of a crime.
Through our internet connection records, a detailed picture of our lives can now be requested by up to 48 public bodies, including even the Food Standards Agency, through a process of self-authorisation.
This meta data can reveal many things – when we are awake, where we are, who we know, our sexuality, religion, political leanings, causes we support, mental and physical health concerns, addictions, who we bank with, the list goes on…
The erosion of our privacy will create a chilling effect that will lead to self-censorship and stifle free expression at the expense of our democracy.
All of this information will be stored by your ISP or mobile provider, making them a prime target for hackers. Remember the recent TalkTalk hack?
In addition, the power to force communication service providers to insert backdoors into their products and services undermines online security for everyone.
So what can you do?
Come along to our privacy workshop and learn how to protect yourself from mass surveillance and online crime.
This workshop is aimed at beginners, no prior knowledge or advanced technical skills are required.
Just bring along yourself and the device(s) you would like to protect, i.e. smartphone and laptop, as you will have the option to follow along with the tutorials.
Bringing a device isn’t strictly necessary however, if you would prefer to just take notes.
The workshop will include the following;
– Why digital rights and privacy matter and what the recent General Election results mean for these.
– How to assess your threat model.
– How to install and use tools such as Signal, VPN and secure email.
– How to manage your passwords, encryption keys and use two-factor authentication.
– How to secure your browsing environment.
– How to recognise and avoid common attacks like phishing and malware.
By the end of the workshop you will possess the basic knowledge and skills to keep yourself safe online.
Most importantly you will be able to pass this knowledge on, helping to protect your family and friends too.
If you are bringing along a device, please ensure that it has sufficient charge for the duration of the session as we can’t guarantee a spare power socket. Free WiFi is provided.
If you would rather confirm your attendance via email please contact: leeds [at] openrightsgroup [dot] org (replacing [at] and [dot] with the correct characters).
