Safe Teaching: why are they being so difficult?

The university would like you to ask students if you can record before you start recording, would like you to use only the services they pay for, and would like much more from overworked teachers under the guise of information security and privacy. But why do we have to do all this? And why does it take up so much time?

There are several reasons why it’s important. Firstly, there are many people lurking around and the moment you make a mistake they take advantage of it. If you choose a weak password, if you leave your computer on, or if you press an insecure link, they could try to kidnap your data until you pay them (and then you would still have no guarantee that you will get the information/control back) or they will sell your data. Secondly, because everyone has a right to privacy we need to come together as a community to safeguard this for each individual. 

Then, does it really take up that much time? Setting everything up right and learning how to do it right can take quite a bit of time. It’s an investment, i.e. once it’s set up right, it’s easier to maintain and if you know how to do it, a lot of things will come naturally (like choosing a good password). It may well end up taking less time. After all, password managers make sure you only have to remember one password, not a new one for every website. Using UU-services means that you can go to the service desk with questions. In addition, there is less chance that something goes wrong and you have to solve it.

Do you want to know how to do it right? Go through the check list, which you can find here. Don’t know something? No problem, ask! You can always send an email to informatiebeveiliging@uu.nl or servicedesk@uu.nl. We are here to answer your questions and give advice!

More information on information security can be found here and on privacy you’ll find more information here.

Marijn van Ellen