The Role of Professional Norms and Ethics in Security Mental Models: The Case of Journalism

This is a study on digital security and press freedom, specifically the freedom from surveillance and the freedom to private and secure communication. We study journalists’ understanding and awareness of digital security practices: their perception of risks and threats of surveillance, and also their awareness of tools and techniques to communicate securely. Based on an empirical study of journalists in Hong Kong, including those who regularly travel to China for work, we build out a theoretical framework for understanding digital security mind-sets of journalists. We found differences in journalists’ behavior depending on how novice or advanced their understanding of digital security are. Journalists with a novice security mind-set will take different actions that produce different outcomes and behavior than those with an advanced security mind-set. We argue that journalists with an advanced security mind-set are able to work on a larger and wider range of (sensitive) stories, suggesting they enjoy a higher degree of press freedom.

Addressing digital security and privacy issues can be particularly difficult for users who face challenging circumstances. We performed semi-structured interviews with residents and staff at 4 transitional homeless shelters in the U.S. San Francisco Bay Area (n=15 residents, 3 staff) to explore their digital security and privacy challenges. Based on these interviews, we outline four tough times themes --- challenges experienced by our financially insecure participants that impacted their digital security and privacy --- which included: (1) limited financial resources, (2) limited access to reliable devices and Internet, (3) untrusted relationships, and (4) ongoing stress. We provide examples of how each theme impacts digital security and privacy practices and needs. We then use these themes to provide a framework outlining opportunities for technology creators to better support users facing security and privacy challenges related to financial insecurity.

With the proliferation of information technology (IT) in the world, information security has become an important objective. In a networked IT world where transactions are conducted through extensive use of the internet, cybersecurity has become integral with information security. Security is one of the most exciting computing fields [1], since it has something that no other computer science field has, an adversary. The same element also makes it one of the most challenging fields because of the unpredictability and the creativity/imagination required. The dearth of faculty who can teach the theory and practice of security is a serious impediment to offering formal education in this domain. While virtual world environments, game-based learning, cyberwars, and other learning-focused interactions have the potential to introduce security concepts and thinking skills in an engaging way to students and professionals, there is also a need to inculcate a 'security mindset,' [1]. This session will explore the concept of the security mindset including what it is, what tools security educators need to help inculcate it, and how it can be developed and/or taught in the spirit of 'training the trainers.' 1Rakesh M. Verma, Ray Parthasarathy, and Lila Ghemri. 2020. Web page for the SIGCSE 2021 BOF Session. http://www2.cs.uh.edu/~rmverma/bof.html.

Journalists are increasingly attacked in response to their work yet they often lack the necessary support and training to protect themselves, their sources, and their communications. Despite this, there has been limited scholarly attention that addresses how journalism schools approach digital security education. This paper draws from an analysis of 106 US programs and 23 semi-structured interviews with journalism students and professors to examine how the next generation of journalists learn about digital security practices. Our findings show that most programs (88.7%) don’t offer formal digital security programming and that digital security skills are often deprioritized in favor of skills seen as more significant contributors to post-graduate hiring—a key priority of journalism programs. Additional barriers include a lack of space and time in existing curricula for added digital security coursework, a perception that students are not interested, and few professors with related knowledge. When security education is introduced, it’s done so in often informal and ad-hoc ways, largely led by “security champions,” both within and outside of journalism, who advocate for its legitimacy. These findings have important implications for journalism education and journalists’ capacity to carry out their work amidst a deteriorating safety environment in the United States.

This study aims to address the massification of the internet in today's world, how much people depend on digital technologies today for almost everything in their lives, as well as the digital practices that exist today in schools, as well as security issues. online or digital and digital citizenship. Which, by the way, are topics little discussed in schools or with timid reflections still in the school environment. Because it is a bibliographical research, important contributions from authors who dominate on such subjects and address digital security issues as a whole and that the school universe is still unaware of many issues were described. Research by Cristina Paludo Santos was also described in her article Education, Digital Practices and New Network Risks regarding a project with high school students where the fragility of knowledge regarding digital security was detected, where part of it is shared in this bibliographical research. In view of the above, it is concluded in this work that digital practices exist in schools, however, the risks also and about digital security is a topic that is still little known by the school community and society in general. The risks are inevitable, but it is possible that society can be better informed about them.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The use of digital practices and approaches can potentially increase the quality and efficiency of all phases of the traditional clinical translational research (CTR) process. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe key stakeholders’ perspectives on the need to: (A) formalize training in digital practices and approaches among CTR trainees; and (B) develop an aligned educational framework that defines core competencies, educational methods, and evaluation metrics. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Participants (n=66) were recruited via email from June to November 2017 using purposive and snowball sampling methods across 4 groups: (1) English speaking national and international experts from academic and private sector institutions with working experience in using digital practices and approaches in research (n=36), (2) CTR educators (n=8), (3) CTR trainees (n=13), and (4) Members of the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Southern California (n=9). Online focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured, open-ended interview guide through Google Hangouts and a conference call interface. Sessions were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and 2 research team members performed independent content analyses to identify before and emergent themes using an inductive analytic approach. Kappa was calculated for inter-rater agreement and repeated until agreement was at least 0.70. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Participants’ average age (41.2 yrs, SD 9.26), gender (59% females), non-Hispanic (97%), race (72% White), and doctoral degree (67%). In total, 85% reported experience in teaching digital practices and approaches in research, although 70% were currently not teaching in this field. Participants reported that complementary teaching in digital practices and approaches across the 15 Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) CTR competency areas was relevant, especially in literature review, research implementation, statistical approaches, biomedical informatics, regulatory support, responsible conduct of research, scientific communication, translational teamwork, cross-disciplinary training, leadership, and community engagement; and less so in literature critique, study design, sources of error, and cultural diversity. Additional competencies were identified, for example, online study recruitment, crowdfunding, team and project management, scholarly impact metrics (Altmetrics), ethical and regulatory guidance for conducting research using digital approaches. Five main educational practices were identified including online training sessions, flexible on-demand modules, in-person consultations and training, and project-oriented hands-on workshops. Among the identified challenges were the need for clear metrics in order to evaluate such a training program. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: There was consistent support for a structured program to help CTR trainees to develop competency in digital research practices and approaches. Our results indicate that an education program focused on digital practices and approaches should include a step-wise approach to meet different research and training goals, allowing attendees to increase their awareness and specialized hands-on practical experience.

This manuscript provides a detailed account of the original findings from a research project on digital security in Salvadoran youth conducted in 2021 and published in 2022. This work falls within the action framework of the Media and Information Literacy Program "Alfabeta Media Lab," involving two Salvadoran universities. The research aims to understand the digital security practices and tools used by Salvadoran youth aged 16 to 24, identifying shortcomings that can inform future support and solutions. The methodology adopts a quantitative-qualitative approach, employing a questionnaire with a representative sample of 976 young individuals from both rural and urban areas across 13 of the 14 departments of the country, along with three focus groups consisting of 28 participants in total. The study's results underscore the importance of fostering digital security competencies within Media and Information Literacy to enhance critical thinking and responsible, active citizenship, promoting an ethical and contextually relevant approach to media products. Within this framework, digital security transcends mere technological instrumentality and becomes a practice with social consciousness.

KeyGuardian is a pioneering command-line tool that bolsters digital security by offering functionalities for hash identification, encryption, and decryption. In an era plagued by data breaches and cyber threats, robust digital security measures are paramount. KeyGuardian recognizes the critical role of encryption in safeguarding sensitive information and empowers users with tools to secure their digital assets effectively. Developed using Python and leveraging external libraries, KeyGuardian stands out with its user-friendly interface that simplifies cryptographic operations, making them accessible to a broader audience and democratizing digital security practices. By incorporating advanced technologies and user-centric features, KeyGuardian enhances accessibility, convenience, and overall security, contributing to a more secure and privacy-conscious digital ecosystem. Key Words: digital security, command-line tool, cryptography, data protection, python, Hashlib, zlib

This paper describes the introduction of an emphasis on ‘personal security’ in human security thinking and practice, as part of the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to compartmentalize the pursuit of security. It reviews the past 20 years of attention to ‘personal security’: both in compartments that consider organized physical violence or threats to personal safety and property (‘citizen security’), and as parts of more wide-ranging examination of threats to fulfilment of basic needs and rights, for example, in comprehensive mapping exercises undertaken in various UNDP Regional and National Human Development Reports or in studies of women's security. The paper reflects on the complex process of opening-up conventional security thinking and practice in ways that add value and depth without shrinking into preconceived compartments.

The era of digitalization has brought significant changes in various aspects of life, including in security management. The wider application of digital technology requires an adaptive and innovative security approach to deal with evolving threats. In the context of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), the implementation of national values in digital security management is very important. These values include unity, integrity, justice, democracy and diversity, which are the foundations of NKRI. This research aims to analyze the importance of security management in the digitalization era based on the NKRI's national values.The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative, with a literature study approach and document analysis related to digital security policies in Indonesia. The analysis focused on how NKRI national values are implemented in security management strategies and practices to face digital security challenges. The results show that the integration of national values in digital security management plays an important role in strengthening national resilience in the digital space. The implementation of national values helps in building a digital security system that is not only technically robust, but also responsive to Indonesia's social and cultural dynamics. This includes the development of inclusive cybersecurity policies, digital security education for diverse communities, and strengthening collaboration between sectors to strengthen the national digital security ecosystem.

Cybersecurity research is focusing increasing attention on the social aspects of the Internet, such as the attitudes, beliefs and practices of users. A subtle shift in this area of research might be centered around the rise of a ‘security mindset’ that would represent a shift away from more common notions of the priority given to security attitudes or practices. This paper focuses on developing the concept of a security ‘mindset’ and its relevance to cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity research is focusing increasing attention on the social aspects of the Internet, such as the attitudes, beliefs and practices of users. A subtle shift in this area of research might be centered around the rise of a ‘security mindset’ that would represent a shift away from more common notions of the priority given to security attitudes or practices. This paper focuses on developing the concept of a security ‘mindset’ and its relevance to cybersecurity.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is concerned with the ownership of digital information and access to that information. Organizations and individuals increasingly seek to prevent unauthorized or inadvertent release of owned, proprietary, or sensitive information. A variety of technologies are available to prevent the piracy and verify the true owners of digital content, unfortunately specifics of these technologies are often proprietary. Content can be protected by a variety of encryption techniques for the storage and transmission of digital information yet; these same techniques can limit access and usability of digital content. This chapter discusses the general state of digital security and technologies in use followed by a discussion of future directions for digital security research and practice.

IntroductionProtecting digital health data from unauthorized access, alteration, and destruction is a crucial aspect of healthcare digitalization. Currently, digital security breaches are becoming more common. Healthcare data breaches have compromised over 50 million medical records per year. In Ethiopia, health digitization has grown gradually. However, there is a limitation of study in digital health security. Studying digital health data security helps individuals protect digital data as a baseline and contributes to developing a digital health security policy.ObjectiveTo assess the practice of healthcare professionals in digital health data security among specialized teaching referral hospitals in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.MethodA cross-sectional study design supplemented by a qualitative purposive sampling method was used to measure the digital data security practices of health professionals. The sample size was determined via single population proportion formula. A simple random sampling technique was used for the study participants. Then, self-administered questionnaires were administered. Multivariable logistic analysis was used to identify associated factors using STATA software. For the qualitative study, key informant interviews were used and analyzed using thematic analysis approach via open-code software.ResultsOut of the 423 health professionals, 95.0% were involved in the survey. The finding indicates digital health data security practice of health professionals working at specialized teaching hospitals were 45.0%, CI: (40, 50). Health professionals 41–45-year age group (AOR = 0.107), master’s degree (AOR = 2.45), postmaster’s degree (AOR = 3.87), time to visit the internet for more than two hours (AOR = 2.46), basic computer training (AOR = 2.77), training in digital data security (AOR = 2.14), and knowledge (AOR = 1.76) were associated with the practice of digital health data security. For the qualitative study, three teams were prepared. The findings indicate digital health data security can be improved through training, advanced knowledge and working with digital security.ConclusionThe practice of digital health data security in specialized teaching hospitals in the Amhara region was inadequate. Therefore, it can be improved through enhancing education status, increasing the time needed to visit the internet, providing computer training, and updating health professionals’ knowledge toward digital health data security.

The COVID-19 pandemic increase the use of distance learning while studies have shown that there is insufficient digital knowledge among students in distance leaning as they do not adequately use technology as a digital citizenship indicator, while the awareness and knowledge of digital citizenship among teachers and students remains a key criterion for improving distance learning that mainly depends on information technology. Therefore, this study comes up to examine the awareness and knowledge of students and faculty of digital citizenship in distance environment by focusing on two different higher academic institutions, namely the Al-Quds Open University (QOU) in the Palestinian territories and the University of Kyrenia (KU) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 2020, using interview, descriptive analysis, and Z-test Technique. The results revealed that students and faculty in both institutions were aware of the digital citizenship concepts, but lacked the in-depth knowledge and understanding of concepts such as digital rights, digital security, and digital ethics. Furthermore, the awareness and knowledge of digital citizenship among KU students are higher than QOU students. Faculty in both institutions agreed with the importance of integrating digital citizenship practices such as digital rights, digital security, and digital ethics into elearning curriculum.