Private Communications Apps

Two of the principles that libraries and librarians believe in adamantly is the freedom or information and the protection of privacy. Unfortunately, privacy has become a scare commodity in our digital world. Recently it has been discovered that the NSA, CIA, and Great Britain's equivalent agencies have been putting lines of code into the basic programming of hard drives in foreign and the SIM cards for smartphones. This video discusses the recent discoveries: http://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/ipod/wx2015-0220_soghoian.mp4

Although these intelligence agencies are tracking and recording calls and texts; there are ways to get around this. There are apps that allow you to send instant messages and make phone calls using your data and those messages and calls are encrypted, which means your conversations are protected with code that puts a digital lock on them.

iMessage / FaceTime (Free) iOS only. This is a built in feature on iPhones and is available on Apple computers. The messages pass through Apple's servers and they encrypt the data so no one except the addressed parties can read the message. Unfortunately both parties must have an Apple product for iMessage to work.

Signal (Free) iOS only. Produced by Open Whisper Systems this app allows for phone calls and send text messages that are clear, fast, and safe. They are protected with end-to-end encryption and compatible with RedPhone and TextSecure which are apps that do the same thing in Android. It has nice archiving and organization features. The app uses Wi-Fi so that it does not use up your data and you can make free international calls. Unfortunately the person you are trying to call or text needs to have Signal, RedPhone, or TextSecure in order to communicate.

RedPhone (Free) Android only. Created by the makers of Signal, this app is the Android version. It has all the same features: archiving, encryption, international calling, organization, and uses Wi-Fi. It also requires each user to have RedPhone, TextSecure, or Signal to communicate.

TextSecure (Free) Android only. This app started with a different development group but is now a part of Open Whisper Systems. Like the other apps it uses open source software that is encrypted. Fast, safe, and secure is the mantra and the app delivers by using end-to-end encryption. It allows group chats and archiving. It has a nice feature that will delete everything the user has done on the app basically cleaning itself out so there is nothing left to see. It has a few problems with group texts and it has ads which have been complaints from some users.

Silent Circle ($12.95 - $39.95) iOS, Android, and Windows desktop. The apps go by the name: Silent Phone, Silent Text, and Silent Contacts. The app allows for encrypted phone calls and secure VOIP when connected to Wi-Fi. It also provides secure video calling and it allows you to contact non-users but that provides one-sided encryption, which some might say is sort of useless. The pricing is based on the number of calling minutes and text messages. This family of apps has a high standard for its encryption and has been recognized multiple times by the Electronic Frontier Foundation for its services providing private secure communication. Silent Circle has also created a privacy minded smartphone called Blackphone that has a special version of Android and proprietary software that makes it secure with no back doors, SIM card vulnerabilities, and other built-in privacy apps.

Wickr (Free) iOS and Android, and Windows desktop. Remember in the TV show / movies Mission Impossible the message would self destruct, well Wickr is very similar. It automatically deletes all messages after a period of time. The app collects no user data, keeps no metadata, and has no vulnerabilities. The founder of the app has a $100,000 prize for anyone "that could find a vulnerability in its app that could critically jeopardize the confidentiality or integrity of its users' data". One of the standout things is that it marries security with features and a nice platform.

There is another secure texting app for Android called Surespot but it had mixed reviews. There is a secure calling / texting app called TrustCall but it is $45 for a chip or $119 for a membership which made it's target audience really small. 

There are a lot of popular instant messaging apps such as SnapChat, Kik, and What'sApp but they aren't secure and some that are encrypted have vulnerabilities. Users who ask about them or use them should know that whatever they send is not very private and can intercepted with varying degrees of difficulty.

In Other News:

An web-based app has been developed to treat tinnitus:

http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/19/a-new-audio-app-claims-to-treat-tinnitus/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

OverDrive is being purchased by a Japanese company:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/19/us-overdrive-m-a-rakuten-idUSKBN0MF0EN20150319

There are about 1200 Android apps vulnerable to the FREAK attack:

http://www.cnet.com/news/more-than-1200-android-apps-still-vulnerable-to-freak/

Cloud Storage

One of the things that I have had a basic understanding of and appreciation for is cloud computing. A lot of people find the concept complicated and worrisome, but really, it is very simple. You are saving your files on a computer (server) provided by a company over the internet instead of on the computer (or smartphone or tablet) in front of you (known as your local machine).

Which company or website is best for me?

How about all of them! It doesn’t hurt to have multiple copies and for some people it helps to keep different kinds of documents (photos, music, etc.) on different accounts.

Google Drive – gives you 15GB but Google docs, sheets, maps, etc don’t count toward that total

Flickr – 1TB of pictures

Dropbox – depends but you can get up to 16GB free

SkyDrive – depends but generally 7-25GB, if you have Office 365 those items don’t count toward your total

Amazon Cloud Drive – depends 5GB but Prime members get unlimited photo uploading

Spider Oak – this only gives you 2GB but it has the best security / encryption (for sensitive or highly valuable / personal data)

Box – 10GB but limits each file size to 250MB

Almost all of these allow you to share your files with family, friends, coworkers, etc. It also helps you access files wherever you are.

To learn how to use Dropbox, Google Drive, and Sky Drive there are some great instructional videos by Jessica Riggins of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium:  http://tblc.org/events/tech-grind-fueling-your-inner-geek-cloudcomputingandstorage

To learn more about maximizing your free cloud storage: www.lifehacker.com/how-to-maximize-your-free-storage-space-on-every-cloud-1690775421

Organize Your Life with Apps

Evernote (Free) iOS, Android, Web - Evernote is one of those apps that is hard to describe because it can do so much. It will take a while to truly appreciate all that Evernote can do. At its heart the app is a basic word processing app that you can use to take notes or create documents. Beyond that you are not limited to text, you can also save pictures and music as notes. It syncs your notes across all devices and can be accessed via the web or mobile app. Evernote's Pennultimate app is an iPad (or iPhone 6) app that allows you to sketch or take hand written notes and by pairing it with your Evernote account it automatically saves and syncs as a note in your Evernote account. Evernote Food allows you to find recipes and automatically save them in your Evernote account. The Evernote Scannable app allows you to take a picture and make it a scanned copy, which means the text can be searched within the Evernote app. Scanned items can be saved as notes in your Evernote account or sent to others. Last but not least, Evernote makes a Chrome extension called Evernote Web Clipper. It allows you to save web pages as an image or select text that you can import to read, edit, and use as you wish.

Sunrise (Free) iOS only - There are a lot of great calendar apps for iPhone but Sunset seems do to what matters best. It syncs calendars from Google, iCal, Facebook, and Outlook. If you use the Reminders app or set a reminder using Siri it will be added as a calendar item in the  app. Users can include people in the calendar item so that they get an invite to add it to their calendar. Through the use of the "Place" feature get directions through Google Maps. The app has a widget on iOS 8 that allows you to see scheduled items for the day at a glance. The reminder feature can be customized to remind users from 2 days before to 15 minutes before. The color coded calendar items alert users to what calendar the item comes from. The clean platform and easy to use interface make this a great calendar app.

Jorte (Free) Android and web - This app considers it self more of a personal planner than a calendar app, but that's where its strength lies nonetheless. Extremely customizable calendars, users can color code their events, change background and fonts, and start their week on the day of their choosing. Event calendars include lunar, professional sports, weather forecast, news, and food recipes. Jorte will give you countdown clocks for events. Sync Yahoo!, Facebook, Google, Outlook, and many other calendars using Jorte Sync app. Jorte Cloud website allows for multi-device synchronization and cloud backup. The widget gives today's events at a glance. Users can import or export calendar contents using a CSV file. In addition to the calendar there is a diary that allows you to include photos and a to do list manager. There are in app purchases for special backgrounds and some advanced features.

IF (Free) iOS, Android, and web - One of the basic concepts in programming is that you create a condition if this happens then this happens. IFTTT means "if this then that" they shortened the phrase to an acronymn and then to just IF. Users can create "recipes" that allow for automated processes to occur such as if I post a photo on Instagram THEN share it on my Twitter account (or save to my Dropbox or Google Drive). If I favorite a tweet THEN copy it to my Evernote notebook of "Sweet Tweets". Users can automate Fitbit info into a Google Spreadsheet. There are hundreds if not thousands of possible recipes and the website now has categories of recipes to suggest for users recipes for: school,parents, photographers, social media users, news followers, road trips, and so many more. Take a look and you might be surprised at a recipe that can help make your life easier, keep track of something, or help you communicate better.

Any.do (Free) iOS, Android, Chrome, and web - Any.do is one of the most popular organizational apps available, users create projects / to-do lists that they can create tasks and subtasks that can be crossed off and have the ability to collaborate with others. The app allows for notification, automated messages, commenting, pictures, file attachments, recurring tasks, reminders, and subtasks, On top of all that it has a  planner. You get five lists / projects, limited file sizes, and limited collaboration unless you pay either $2.99/mo. per month or $2.50/mo. for a year commitment. With that premium payment you get several additional perks: color themes, support, and custom tasks. The app has a clean minimalist display, has some fun gestures, and a how-to walk through when you first use it.

Dropbox (Free) iOS, Android, Amazon, Windows, web. There a lot of cloud storage options available but Dropbox has its charms. Users can share folders with others which is great for collaboration or sharing resources with out the hassle of setting up a server and a network. Files are available on almost any device imaginable and there are numerous apps that integrate with Dropbox as the primary option of cloud storage. In many cases you can automatically backup files to Dropbox. There have been concerns about security but Dropbox states that no users' information has been accessed. By inviting others, sharing your experience, and other tasks Dropbox will increase your storage capacity.

LastPass (Free or $12/yr) iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, and most web browsers. Creating secure passwords can be tough and then remembering them, changing them when there is a security breach, and all the related hassles. LastPass will remember your passwords for you and it will generate secure passwords. It will alert you if you are using duplicate passwords and give you an assessment of your password security vulnerability. Users can create form fill profiles that will fill out online forms when you prompt LastPass to fill them in. With secondary verification and sesame encryption if you desire it is extremely secure. LastPass for your web browser is free but to access it on your mobile device and use some of the advanced features require the $12 yearly fee.

Pocket (Free) iOS, Android, Amazon, Kobo, Blackberry, Chrome, Windows web. When you want to save a recipe, article, tweet, picture, or anything else you see online or in one of the 800 apps Pocket integrates with you can save it for offline (or online) reading across multiple devices. A premium account $4.99/ mo. or $44.99/yr. saves your items forever no storage maximum and even if it disappears from the web you have it, custom tags that can be selected with a tap, and a powerful search for all that stuff you're saving forever.