As champions of an open, globally-secure, and trusted Internet, International Data Privacy Day is a big deal around these parts.
But making sure you’re able to share what you want, when you want, should be something the world stands for more than once a year. Every day should be Data Privacy Day.
These days, it feels all too common to hear stories about policy or law enforcement officials trying to create backdoors into technologies like encryption. These backdoors could put our online security at risk.
Just a little over one month ago, Business Insider reported that smart home devices dominated Christmas 2018 sales on Amazon, while the Alexa app, which enables people to control those smart devices, was the most downloaded on Google Play and the Apple App store on Christmas Day.
As the Internet becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives, each of us can take actions to ensure that privacy and security are a top priority.
Let’s come together on Data Privacy Day to celebrate the possibilities an open, globally connected, trusted, and secure Internet brings. Here are ways you can help make it happen where you live:
(And don’t forget to make a cake! Continue reading
The public has until 31 January to comment on a draft set of rules in India that could result in big changes to online security and privacy.
The Indian government published the draft Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules] 2018, also known as the “Intermediary Rules” for public comment.
When it comes to the Internet, intermediaries are companies that mediate online communication and enable various forms of online expression.
The draft Intermediary Rules would change parts of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (the “IT Act”), which sets out the requirements intermediaries must meet to be shielded from liability for the activities of their users. The draft rules would also expand the requirements for all intermediaries, which are defined by the Indian government and include Internet service providers, cybercafés, online companies, social media platforms, and others. For example, all intermediaries would have to regularly notify users on content they shouldn’t share; make unlawful content traceable; and deploy automated tools to identify and disable unlawful information or content, among other new requirements.
Here’s some more background:
Data Privacy Day is a little like celebrating the anniversary of your first date.
They are both a yearly occasion to reflect on the most important relationships in our life, the former with those who know the most about us, the latter with our significant other.
It’s also a reminder that relationships are built on trust – and how fragile that trust can be.
Privacy online relies on trust at its core. But as we become more reliant on connected devices and virtual assistants to handle our most intimate health, banking, and private information, we’re putting our trust into shaky hands.
Honesty is the foundation of trust and it’s just as important in our relationships with loved ones as those with data brokers. It’s crucial for data brokers to be honest with users about who, when, and how people have access to their personal data, especially as we transition into smarter homes and cities.
Let’s face it: there’s a huge market for the information we share online. Both U.S. and Canadian Internet companies are increasingly trying to collect our personal data – whether we know it or not.
It’s clear we want more control over our privacy, but each Continue reading
One of the most common mistakes/confusion I see with regard to storage is how speed is measured.
In tech, there’s some cultural conventions to which units speeds are discussed in.
Of course they both say the same thing, just in different units. You could measure bytes per second in the networking world and bits per second in the server/storage world, but it’s not the “native” method and could add to confusion.
For NAS, we have a bit of a conundrum in that we’re talking about both worlds. So it’s important to communicate effectively which method you’re using to measure speed: bits of bytes.
Generally speaking, if you want to talk about Bytes, you capitalize the B. If you want to talk about bits, the b is lower case. I.e. 100 MB/s (100 Megabytes per second) and 100 Mbit or Mb (100 Megabit per second).
This is important, because there a 8 bits in a byte, the difference in speed is pretty stark depending on if you’re talking about bits per second or bytes per Continue reading
I maintain two git repositories with various network and vendor icons in SVG format. Feel free to use them, but do request the vendors permission to use their trademark images, if what you are using them for is something that requires permission. Network Icons Sample Vendor Icons...continue reading
Network Engineers create and operate prototype networks all the time. Prototype networks are used to validate designs, test features or changes, troubleshoot use-case scenarios, and often just for learning. Typically, pre-prod testing environments are set up in such a way that device host names, attributes, configurations, IP assignments, software versions, and topologies are mostly inconsistent with production environments. This inconsistency is counter-intuitive, considering that accurate design validations should closely match reality to avoid any mistakes when deploying in production.
Cumulus Linux can run as a virtual appliance, allowing network engineers to build to-scale virtual networks for activities like modeling changes and performing validations, while opening the door for similar DevOps methodologies application developers have operated with for years: validated testing before deploying in production for continuous integration.
Cumulus VX (Virtual Experience) is a Cumulus Linux virtual appliance. You can test drive Cumulus Linux on a laptop, while those fluent with Cumulus Linux can prototype large networks and develop software integrations before deploying into production environments.
Cumulus VX is a platform — just like Cumulus Linux on a real switch — and therefore is designed to perform just like an actual switch running Cumulus Linux. Every feature you Continue reading
SDxCentral Weekly Wrap for Jan. 25, 2019: Nutanix accuses VMware of bullying customers, AT&T details its 5G strategy, and Nokia poaches Vodafone's head of cloud.
What does it take to build a gaming network for the largest LAN party in Australia? In today's Heavy Networking podcast we find out. Our guest is Tim Raphael, who volunteers for Red Flag LANfest, a non-profit that runs Bring Your Own PC (BYOPC) gaming events in Perth, Australia.
The post Heavy Networking 426: Building A BYOPC Gaming Network appeared first on Packet Pushers.
The carrier said it will “pause” buying Huawei equipment for its core mobile networks in Europe while Western governments work to clear up security concerns.
Citus Data offers an extension that transforms open source management system PostgreSQL into a distributed database.
Thoma Bravo, the private equity firm rumored to want to buy McAfee, spent billions scooping up security companies in 2018. It also approached Symantec about acquiring that company.