For most people, the first question will be “What is a Crypto Party”?
The short answer is that it is a gathering of people who wish to learn and acquire skills and tools to protect themselves on the Internet and generally when using digital devices. The Crypto Party movement is worldwide and is aimed at preserving our basic digital freedoms.
Privacy, trust and transparency are important aspects of our Democracy.
Yet we now accept trusting relationships with large international corporations and foreign security agencies where they know everything and we don’t understand the “fine print”. Being able to choose where, when and with whom we share is an important aspect of being human, yet everywhere we look these basic rights are under attack.
Everyone in the community is invited to the “Cygnet Crypto Party” to be held in the Cygnet Town Hall Supper Room on the 20th December 2015 from 2 to 5 pm (after the market).
There will be talk, food to share, a chance to discuss, and assistance provided if you want your digital devices to be more secure and private. Just a few of things discussed will be VPNs (virtual private networks), encryption, passwords and password managers, the dark Internet and the tor network, bitcoins, cookies and similar technologies, metadata, good and bad choices of browser and email providers, viruses and other nasty things, and perhaps most importantly, developing a defensive attitude to being online.
Use duckduckgo.com to search for “crypto party”. There is also list of tools and topics at the website https://www.cryptoparty.in/cygnet.
Privacy Matters …
Privacy, trust and transparency are important aspects of our Democracy.
Yet we now accept trusting relationships with large international corporations and foreign security agencies where they know everything and we don’t understand the “fine print”. Meanwhile many feel that Government’s fail to tell us the whole truth.
If we feel that what we do, where we go and how we think is being monitored, analysed and aggregated this invariably has an impact on how we behave. It is not a simple matter of thinking “I have nothing to hide”. It is more about who we trust when it comes to sharing details of our lives. Being able to choose where, when and with whom we share is an important aspect of being human.
We all readily accept that our society is based on some simple social agreements that allow us all to prosper and thrive. Indeed it is very important for all members or our society to obey the Law while being confidant that we can all contribute to and be a part of a society that the diggers fought for. However in this complex modern world it is easy to simply forgo some freedoms; especially when we feel threatened and insecure. When we dwell on the “war on terror” or how powerless we feel as individuals facing complex global issues that seem to threaten our freedom and security it is natural to allow an erosion of freedom and privacy in order to enjoy the comfortable lives we are used to living.
Being residents of the “lucky country” it is easy to ignore the Human rights abuses that occur in other parts of the world. Mostly we simply look to our Government to do it’s bit to help on our behalf. And as we all live in a peaceful democracy we take it for granted that we can participate in how our society works. As well as those complex global issues we sometimes feel overwhelmed by there are also lots of divisions, at times threatening or unfair or unsavoury, appearing in our society. These divisions sometimes make community participation difficult. We’ve all heard of, and most likely experienced diversity within our communities: the glib phrases that roll of politicians tongues don’t really explain “gender gaps”, “haves and have nots” or what “lifters and leaners” actually do. Most of us recognise that diversity in nature is an essential aspect in the web of life. Healthy debate, lively conversations and acceptance of other’s difference is also an essential part of our Democracy. An important cornerstone on which our democracy has been built is the need for privacy. While this century is still young we have some important choices and actions we must take if we are to ensure our children and their children enjoy the lives most of us have lived.
One choice we can all make is to take control of what we share and with whom we share. The digital devices in our lives, often leaking everything about how you live, can all be secured and set up to allow you the choice of how, when, where and with whom you share.
Everyone in the community is invited to the “Cygnet Crypto Party” to be held in the Cygnet Town Hall Supper Room on the 20th December 2015 from 2 to 5 pm (after the market). There will be talk, food to share a chance to discuss, and assistance provided if you want to your digital devices to be more secure and private. Think of your privacy as a kind of “herd immunity”: more people using privacy tools benefit investigative journalists who want to protect their sources, whistle blowers and civil rights activists in countries where Human Rights are ignored.
If you would like more information please use duckduckgo.com to search for “crypto party”. There is also a list of tools and topics at the website https://www.cryptoparty.in/cygnet
