As Data Privacy Day approaches, do you know where your data is?

Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the Jan. 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Data Privacy Day is observed annually on Jan. 28.

As parents/guardians you can share these tips about data privacy with your kids




Find out more about data privacy and Stay Safe Online
https://staysafeonline.org/resource/stop-think-connect-tips-parents-raising-privacy-savvy-kids/

Find out about protecting your privacy online
https://staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/managing-your-privacy/

As Data Privacy Day approaches, do you know where your data is?

In the News: computer chips need patching; Medway increases mailbox reimbursement

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Technology companies are scrambling to fix serious security flaws affecting computer processors built by Intel and other chipmakers and found in many of the world’s personal computers and smartphones. 

The two hardware bugs discovered can be exploited to allow the memory content of a computer to be leaked. Such a leak could potentially expose stored passwords and other sensitive data, including personal photos, emails and instant messages. 

Researchers at Google’s Project Zero and academic institutions including the Graz University of Technology in Austria discovered the problem last year and disclosed it Wednesday."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20180104/computer-chip-flaw-revealed-and-what-you-should-do-about-it

"Residents who have their mailboxes taken out by a plow during storms may see an increase in their reimbursement by the town. 

The Board of Selectmen this week voted to increase the amount the town offers to $50, up from $25. 

Town Administrator Michael Boynton raised the matter at the board’s Tuesday meeting, saying he felt $25 was on the low side. 

“I’m beginning to think $25 is from a day gone by,”′ he said, noting that the standard mailbox likely costs closer to $50."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180104/medway-increases-mailbox-damage-reimbursement

Franklin's mailbox policy provides for reimbursement of $45

"The reimbursement amount for damaged mailboxes is $45.00. For a resident to receive a reimbursement, they are required to provide a paid receipt or invoice. The DPW will not pay more than $45.00 per incident per household per year. 

The Franklin DPW does not provide replacement mailboxes and will not perform any repairs to mailboxes. All receipts and invoices are due no later than May 15th of the current fiscal year."

http://www.franklinma.gov/public-works/news/updated-mailbox-policy-new-reimbursement

or here

http://www.franklinma.gov/snow-ice-removal/pages/mailbox-policy

The reimbursement amount for damaged mailboxes is $45

In the News: EPA details plan for cleanup; SEC reveals it was hacked in 2016

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The cleanup for ground pollution at a Superfund site could take up to 20 years, according to a fully drafted Community Action Plan. 

The draft highlights the planning and progress the Environmental Protection Agency has made regarding the cleanup and Superfund status at 300 Fisher St. 

In 2015, the EPA added the 18-acre property to the Superfund list, which makes the property eligible for state-funded cleanup. The Superfund law provides the EPA with the funds to clean up the sites and gives it authority to force the polluters to lead the efforts or reimburse the government for the work."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170921/franklin-fisher-street-cleanup-could-take-20-years

The Community Involvement Plan (CIP) can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/09/updated-community-involvement-plan-for.html

Updated Community Involvement Plan for the BJAT, LLC Superfund Site

"The federal agency responsible for ensuring that markets function as they should and for protecting investors was hacked last year and the intruders may have used the nonpublic information they obtained to profit illegally. 

The disclosure arrived two months after a government watchdog said deficiencies in the computer systems of the Securities and Exchange Commission put the system, and the information it contains, at risk. 

In July, the Government Accountability Office issued a critical report about the security measures employed by the SEC, citing a number of deficiencies in “the effectiveness of SEC’s controls for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its information systems.” It issued 26 recommendations that it said would make SEC systems more secure. 

According to the SEC, the breach was discovered last year, but the possibility of illicit trading was uncovered only last month. It did not explain why the hack itself was not revealed sooner, or which individuals or companies may have been impacted."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 
http://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20170921/fed-agency-urging-corporate-cybersecurity-upgrades-is-hacked

FTC Scam Alert: Equifax isn’t calling

Many Franklinites are likely among those affected by the Equifax breach (as I was). Hence, this is worthy of sharing!

Equifax isn't calling by Lisa Weintraub Schifferle Attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer and Business Education Ring, ring. "This is Equifax calling to verify your account information." Stop. Don't tell them anything. They're not from Equifax. It's a scam. Equifax will not call you out of the blue. Follow the link to read more This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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Also from the Federal Trade Commission - What to do
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/09/equifax-data-breach-what-do

"Are Your Kids Addicted To Their Phones? 'Screenagers' Wants to Help"

"Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well.

In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults canempower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance."

SCREENAGERS (Official Trailer) from Delaney Ruston on Vimeo.

More info can be found on their webpage  http://www.screenagersmovie.com/

In the News: Franklin's Liberatore on top team; Governor will let Legislature deal with marijuana sales tax

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"A student cybersecurity team from MassBay Community College placed fourth at the National Cyber League 2016 Competition. The seven-member student team from MassBay, called the Segfault, was ranked fourth out of 144 teams nationwide, and included a Franklin resident. 

The team consisted of Andrew Liberatore, of Franklin, as well as Paul Buonopane, David Dew, Chester Moses, Timothy Ferguson, Corey Skinner and Fred Dolan. 

The students have been working together since the beginning of the fall 2016 semester and have competed in the preseason, regular season and postseason of the National Cyber League competition. The competition is held online in a cloud-based environment, where students compete to solve real problems. The MassBay team was given problems to solve that replicate what it might face in the real world if its company fell victim to hackers. The team dissected the problems to find solutions, which included downloading files, decryption to view passwords and analyzing information on the attack."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20161220/massbay-community-college-places-fourth-in-cyber-league-competition

http://www.massbay.edu/

"Gov. Charlie Baker couldn't quite bring himself on Monday to say he would support a higher tax rate on retail marijuana sales, but he didn't rule it out either. 

"I'm going to let the Legislature kick this one around a little, " Baker said during his monthly appearance on WGBH's "Boston Public Radio" show. "No, no, no, no," he added as clarification when host Jim Braude brought up a possible veto threat. 

Several prominent Democrats, including Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, have been open with their belief that the 3.75 percent retail sales tax on pot is too low, and will be up for debate when the Legislature considers changes in the new year to the legalization law that went into effect last Thursday. 

The ballot law stipulated a 3.75 percent excise tax on marijuana that would be added to the state's 6.25 percent sales tax, effectively taxing pot at 10 percent to start. Cities and towns have the ability to add an additional sales tax of up to 2 percent on top of that."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20161220/baker-leaving-pot-tax-debate-to-legislature-for-now

Note: The Franklin Town Council takes up the measure that would add 2% for the local portion of the tax at the meeting scheduled for Weds, Dec 21.

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/12/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-122116.html