Fourth Annual New York City Library Privacy Week Now Underway

From the City of New York Office of Technology and Innovation:

The NYC Office of Technology and Innovation, NYC’s three library systems,  and Metropolitan New York Library Council today announced the launch of the fourth annual  Library Privacy Week, which offers free online and in-person events educating New Yorkers on  internet privacy and security.

NYC’s three library systems – Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, and  Queens Public Library – are hosting 29 free events for the public. This year’s schedule features a  mix of online and in-person workshops, panel discussions, and reading groups that cover topics  such as maintaining digital privacy on social media and protecting online accounts from hacks  and other nefarious activities. For a full schedule, visit libraryprivacyweek.nyc.

“Privacy programs and policies help protect the identifying information of New York City’s almost nine million residents and are foundational to building trust in city services,” said New  York City Chief Privacy Officer Michael Fitzpatrick. “NYC Library Privacy Week’s  impressive lineup of in-person and virtual events ensures the knowledge necessary to protect  yourself online is accessible to all New Yorkers. I am grateful to New York City’s three library  systems and the Metropolitan New York Library Council for engaging and educating their  patrons on these important subjects.”

“Whether we’re talking about individuals, businesses, or government agencies, awareness is a crucial component of cybersecurity,” said New York City Chief Information Security Officer Kelly Moan. “One click of a suspicious link from a person or entity you don’t know can make you the victim of a phishing attack. I thank the organizers of NYC Library Privacy Week for sharing invaluable information about phishing and other scams. I also encourage New Yorkers to download NYC’s free NYC Secure app to protect your phone from cyber threats. Remember, cybersecurity starts with you.”

“We are grateful as always to work with Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public  Library, and Queens Public Library to plan our fourth Library Privacy Week,” Nate Hill,  executive director, METRO Library Council. “Libraries remain a necessary resource for New  York residents to safely ask questions about the sanctity of their data. We’re proud to support a  week where libraries can showcase the broad range of programs and services they provide to  help their communities safeguard their personal data.”

“Privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association,” said Bill Marden, director of privacy and compliance, The New York Public Library. “It’s what we say in the very first sentence of our Privacy Policy, and it’s because libraries have a long history of protecting user privacy and confidentiality. Key to our mission is protecting the public by being transparent in how we collect and use their personal data and by safeguarding that data

while we have it. Library Privacy Week, among other things, highlights how these efforts ensure that the public can use our resources without the threat of surveillance or interference. Libraries proudly stand as sanctuaries for intellectual freedom.”

“For the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who struggle to access essential services and resources on the internet, public libraries are a lifeline,” says David Giles, chief strategy officer,  Brooklyn Public Library. “It’s where they learn how to open an email account, how to operate  a browser, and where to go for essential educational, health, and government services. Importantly, it’s also where they learn how to stay safe in the digital realm, including how to  keep their passwords and other personal information secure and how to identify risks and bad  actors online. To this end, Brooklyn Public Library is proud to partner with the City’s Office of  Technology and Innovation, the METRO Library Council, the New York Public Library, and  Queens Public Library to call attention to the importance of digital privacy and security during  this fourth annual Library Privacy Week.”

“As hacking, phishing, spoofing and other methods of data theft become more prevalent and more damaging, it is critical that people know how to stay safe online,” said Nick Buron, chief  librarian, Queens Public Library. “We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, the City of New York and the Metropolitan New York Library Council to highlight our digital information privacy classes and workshops to the public. They offer excellent tips and instruction to guard against data break-ins, and we look forward to making sure our customers get the most out of them.”

“The ability to access and interact with high quality information is essential to a healthy democracy,” said Dr. Colin Rhinesmith, founder and director, Digital Equity Research Center at Metropolitan New York Library Council. “This is only possible if everyone has the education and training needed to stay safe while using the internet. These new materials from NYC Digital Safety are an excellent example of what our libraries,  municipalities, and other digital equity stakeholders can accomplish while working together  toward this goal.”

Library Privacy Week is made possible through NYC Digital Safety: Privacy & Security, a  project funded by NYC’s Office of Technology and Innovation. NYC Digital Safety: Privacy & Security ensures New York City residents can rely on public libraries for their questions about internet privacy and security. Phase 2 of this project was released in October 2022 and includes up-to-date training videos and over 40 curriculum modules library staff can use to share this information with members of the public.

“We at METRO are very proud to join our project members Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library in announcing that a new suite of materials are now available to help libraries across the city and, indeed, around the country to share best practices on staying safe online with their communities,” said Davis Erin Anderson, director of  NYC Digital Safety Project and director of programs and partnerships at Metropolitan New York Library Council. “Issues in data privacy and online security are prevalent in today’s society, and we know that libraries are a go-to place for communities to learn what they need in order to thrive in their lives. We are beyond proud to aid the efforts of

libraries everywhere in keeping their communities safe when using the internet.”

NYC Digital Safety: Privacy & Security builds on the success of the Data Privacy Project and leverages resources developed by Library Freedom Project, the Mozilla Foundation, Tactical Tech Collective and METRO Library Council. All the materials from NYC Digital Safety:  Privacy & Security are created under a Creative Commons License and are available for use by librarians, educators, and technologists throughout the world at nycdigitalsafety.org.

Direct to libraryprivacyweek.nyc.

Filed under: Data Files, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries