So Why Is Data Privacy Week So Important?

Gordon
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A special guest blog from Gordon our Webmaster.

Today might seem like just another day. You might have woken up feeling refreshed. Climbed out of bed and gotten dressed. Brushed your teeth… 

That smart toothbrush is really great, it even sends you motivational notifications, congratulating you on brushing first thing in the morning. 

Your bathroom scale creates great little graphs showing you how well you are achieving your goals, be that muscle mass, weight loss, or maintaining a healthy weight.

Your smartwatch beeps. You got exactly six hours and 26 minutes of sleep last night – a little short of the eight-hour target recommended to you. 

You go downstairs… That new smoothie recipe you saw on social media looked really good, maybe you should try it this morning? You flick open your phone and open up the app. The first thing to pop up on the screen asks “Is your pillow too soft? Try our new ergonomic pillow. It will help you get your eight hours sleep tonight”. Scrolling down, there are some smoothies to help you maintain your ideal BMI.

With so many of the things we use on a day-to-day basis connected to the internet do you really know how the data generated is being used? Everywhere you look data is being generated about you. From your phone to your car, even to your central heating system. Data privacy may seem like it is only something that businesses should care about. There is a lot of information for businesses on keeping data safe, with standards like ISO27001. However, it is often overlooked in our personal lives. Almost every website you visit has a cookie policy. GDPR governs how companies can use your data but how many times have you actually looked at the policy, and do you actually know where the information is being used?

So what can we do?

There are many ways you can ensure that you can start to take control of your data, taking opportunities away from companies and malicious individuals who would use your data against you. Check your privacy settings on the websites you use often and ensure you are happy with the information they gather on you.

A lot of information can be gathered through your connected devices, and a lot of the largest data mining companies can use your IP address to identify a lot more information than is immediately obvious. For instance, when you connect to a wifi network your IP address will be the same as every other device connected to the same network, so if one device on the network is reporting its location via a GPS signal then the approximate location of everyone else on that network can be assumed to be nearby. VPNs are a powerful tool to avoid this sort of information becoming available to a website.

Another issue for many people is password security. An interesting check can be done on your accounts by using a website called https://haveibeenpwned.com/ You can enter your email addresses or phone numbers to see if your password has been published by criminals in many data breaches from well-known websites. 

Password reuse is a very common thing to do with the many accounts held by most people these days on the internet. A great tool for this is a password manager. This allows you to save a different, very secure password for each website that you use, while only having to actually remember the one password to get into the password manager. As long as you trust the vendor of the password manager you choose, of course.

This is such a crucial issue in our busy and connected world. However, it is often overlooked and many people don’t even consider the amount of data they are sharing unknowingly online. Following these tips can go a long way to ensuring that you are in control of your information and allowing you to relax, knowing that you have the tools to keep your data safe. A regular check-in with your data privacy settings may seem like an unnecessary task however it can definitely help you live more harmoniously in our busy connected world.

Man in front of screen closing eyes

Fed up with video? 6 reasons why ‘Zoom fatigue’ is real

Ellen Willoughby
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Man in front of screen closing eyes

Zoom fatigue is real. The science backs it up. And here’s how.

1) There is a disconnect between what you feel and what you see

There are none of the usual social cues that allow you to relax into the conversation. On video you can feel the presence of another person, but you can’t see them properly. There’s a meeting of your ideas and thoughts to satisfy the mind, but your body knows it’s alone.

It’s discombobulating.

With so much of our communication being non-verbal, knowing you can see the person, your brain expects to be able to read those signals. But in fact, it can’t.

The frustrations of technical freezes and delays aside, with video chat, you’re unable to see the subtle hand and face movements that indicate interest – or disinterest! And you’re aware that they can’t read yours either, so you sit there nodding incessantly like some dog sat at the back of a Skoda – just to make sure everyone knows you’re happy and attentive.

When someone looks away it’s impossible to tell if they’re listening, thinking, or reading an email. It’s exhausting trying to concentrate on what you’re saying while pretending you’re not trying to figure them out.

You speak while looking at so many mini screens within a screen, and you can’t catch the expressions on others’ faces, or hear the inhalation of breath that lets you know when someone else has something to say. In fact, collaboration has gone altogether.

There are no brief whispered parallel conversations going on as you might get in a face-to-face meeting. There is no real eye contact. No sparks of energy as two people suddenly come to the same realisation. Basically, it’s a conversation, but not as we know it. So, no wonder our brains are tired.

2) You can’t stop looking at yourself and the way you move

As if trying to read the nuance of another isn’t enough to give you Zoom fatigue, you can see yourself on camera.

‘Can they tell I’m looking at myself?’

‘If I look at them now, will they know I wasn’t before?’

‘Do I really have such a scrawny neck – what if I turn to this side, or stretch my chin forward?’

‘Do I really pull that face when I’m concentrating?’

Your discussion with your inner voice is distracting at best and headache-provoking at worst. But it’s just as tiring to ignore.

3) Technical interruptions often extend the length of the meeting

Back in the real world it was frustrating enough to have key people arrive a few minutes late, or to find yourself over-running. Thanks to video meetings you’re not sure if they’re going to drop out of the conversation mid-sentence.

Will they return?

Who knows?

Suddenly, you find yourself moved to a different platform in the same meeting, trying to surreptitiously write an email postponing your next call while pretending you are in fact merely listening intently. You thought you’d left plenty of time in between.

You never leave enough time.

The meeting is now three times the length it should have been. And you’re not even sure whether you’ve achieved anything.

Do everyone a favour – especially yourself. Ensure your meetings are necessary. Could you achieve as much by email or phone, where your brain can focus on one sensory input?

4) It’s a headache to find the right backdrop to your video call

The days of dressing up for work aren’t over – at least from the waist up. Only now you also have front over backlighting to worry about. And that’s before you think about the backdrop…

Is sitting in front of your bookcase too nerdy? Or worse – not sophisticated enough? Should the aloe vera leaves be at a 45- or 90-degree angle from the waving cat (whoops, I mean maneki-neko)?

At the end of it all, you’re left wondering if you’ll ever be able to look at your colleague the same way again knowing you’ve seen their overflowing laundry basket.

5) You’ve already been looking at a screen all day

According to research we are now looking at screens for an average of 7 hours a day.

You don’t need to be a chemist to notice the ever-increasing eyedrops on our high streets. Blepharitis is a thing. A dry eye condition, to be more specific. If you get pain between your eyes or at one or other eye socket, reach for the eye drops. Then book an appointment with an optometrist.

Remember those days when you got a break from screens while commuting, chatting at the coffee machine about your weekend indiscretions, or in face-to-face team meetings? Me neither.

But the more time you have on screens the more you have to care for your own well-being, or you’ll burn out.

6) Available all day? You’ll need to be extra cautious about your work/life balance

As a meditation instructor, I understand the importance of taking time out every day to care for my brain. Meditation exercises the brain the same way that push-ups do the body.

It doesn’t mean I’m always on point with my work/life balance, though. As a business owner, it’s easy to find yourself working every day.

As an employee, it’s just as easy to find your private time being eaten into by a micro-managing boss and their video surveillance. Or by meetings being organised during evenings or weekends…

‘Why not? You have access to your laptop all day.’

Yep – that’s the time to create some boundaries for your own sanity.

In summary: how to avoid Zoom fatigue

  • Give your brain a break. Of course it’s tired. There is dissonance between what it sees, feels and knows.
  • If a video call is really necessary, consider turning your mike or camera off at intervals.
  • If you do have to look at yourself, be kind. You’re not turning into your nanna. And who cares if you are? I’m sure she’s pretty awesome!
  • Don’t forget to take care of your body and your eyes. It’s hard being at a screen all day. Seek professional advice with regard to posture, exercises and the health of your eyes.

Lastly, it’s hard to separate work from play if you do both things in the same place. So, try to change that. And then block off times, and even days in your diary, for things you need to do for you – then fill in work around that.

Ellen Avatar