Online

Protect your privacy, security, and identity while using technology. 

Your online presence is huge. Students use the internet to sign up for courses, pay bills, and communicate with friends, professors, the University, and employers.

 

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada hosts fact sheets, videos, tips and cases relating to issues like online privacy and identity theft.

• Never share your Queen's NetID and password.
  ITServices will never request it; be very suspicious of any entity purporting to be Queen's that asks for personal information. 
• Secure your network.
  If your house uses a wireless router to access the internet, ensure that your network is secured with a password so that strangers cannot access it.
• Lock your computer.
  Invest in a cable lock to secure your laptop. Ensure that computers cannot be seen through uncovered windows. If you are leaving for the summer or winter holidays, take your computer with you.
• Be careful about what information you enter into which computer.
  If you are not using your own personal computer, think about what information you're entering on public domains.  Be cautious about sharing banking information or your Social Insurance Number; you do not want future users to locate this information by accessing the computer.

Queen's information technology services (ITServices)

ITServices provides information about internet security, including golden rules for cyberspace and best practices for email use, creating passwords, and disposing of media.

• Install Ida.
  Get the ITServices Desktop Assistant (Ida) for Windows users. Ida bundles antivirus software that is available to the Queen's community at no charge. Learn more about Ida.

• Use QShare.
  Back up your files in a safe place like QShare, Queen's web-based file storage solution that is accessible anytime, anywhere. Even if your computer crashes or is stolen, you will have access to all of your files. Every student at Queen's gets a personal QShare space.

• Read the Computer User Code of Ethics
  The Queen's Computer User Code of Ethics is a policy which applies to all computers and devices connected to the Queen's network. The policy outlines guidelines for computer usage as well as procedures for lodging complaints and handling violations of the Computer User Code of Ethics.

• Consult Queen's Email Harassment and STOP-IT program
  Queen's ITServices, in partnership with the Human Rights Office, Campus Security, and Student Affairs, provides the STOP-IT program to help curb email harassment. The STOP-IT webpage will help you answer the question "Is it harassment?", as well as providing information about first steps when you have been subjected to email harassment.

Phishing is the term used when internet users are lured into providing personal information which is then used for criminal purposes. For more information, refer to:

• PhoneBusters anti-fraud call centre, co-managed by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), OPP (Ontario Provincial Police), and the Competition Bureau of Canada. 
• The student practical guide to personal information and scams protection, produced by the RCMP, in partnership with the University of Ottawa.

The prevalence of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace means that what were once private things - photographs, videos, group memberships - are now easily available to large numbers of people, including potential employers and commercial vendors.

Think about your Facebook group memberships and what they say about you.  What about your personal information, like your address and phone number? Are they available online to all other users?  Facebook has reworked and strengthened its privacy settings in the past year.  Ensure you are familiar with the availability of your information and your options for restricting access to it.  Also keep in mind that certain applications and games on Facebook contain viruses or spyware that your antivirus may not block.  No antivirus is 100% effective.

 Queen's Marketing and Communications also provides guidelines for social media use at Queen's.