2021-09-27 MUGOO Zoom iMeeting

[AdminMan]

** NOTE - We took a summer hiatus for July and August.  iMeetings resumed in September **

We are still unable able to have an in-person meeting at the library, so the following Zoom details apply.

Date: 2021-09-27 (Monday)
Time: 7:30 PM ET  You can join the Zoom meeting starting at 7:20.
Venue: A Zoom meeting that you can join on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Although Zoom works in many browsers we STRONGLY recommend using the dedicated app on your device with the largest screen for the best experience.
You do NOT need a Zoom account to join a meeting!
If you need instructions, go here: https://mugoo.com/index.php/Main/UsingZOOM



Agenda For Sep 27th iMeeting :

0 - Group chin-wag while folks log on                                                   7:20 - 7:30

1 - Browsers - security and privacy                                                      7:30 - 8:15
     - Safari and Reader View                   with Laurence Head
     - Duck Duck Go Private Browser         with Lynda Matsumoto
     - Firefox and Ghostery                       with Neil Herber

2 - Apple's September 14th event PLUS
     Members' M1 experiences                   group discussion                    8:15 - 9:00

3 - Q & A / Fixit Forum                            group discussion                     9:00 - ?                                                             

4 - Presidential Firewall Chat / sign-off      with Wally Kuzmicz                <5 seconds


Unfortunately, no after meeting wings or desserts at the Royal Oak, but feel free to prepare your own snacks and share them with us on screen!

Zoom meeting details:   <---  will only work for this meeting! Join any time after 7:20, meeting starts precisely at 7:30!!
Meeting ID: expired
Meeting pass code: expired

Did you miss a meeting?
Sign up for emailed meeting notices! https://mugoo.com/index.php/Main/MeetingReminders

Don't forget the Ottawa Public Library!
Even though we are unable to meet in person at the library, the OPL still offers a wealth of services you can access online. Go to https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en

[DavidR]

0 - Group chin-wag while folks log on
It's important to upgrade to the latest version of iOS to resolve the recent security scare about iMessage.

Some members who use email services from Bell Canada (addresses ending in Sympatico.ca) are having problems in receiving MUGOO emails.  The severity of such problems appears to be getting worse across the entire Bell community.  It is recommended that users consider migrating to another platform such as Gmail.

1 - Browsers - security and privacy
This session took a look at the privacy and security features of Apple Safari and two other browsers used by our members.  One goal is to reduce the amount of advertising and number of trackers that monitor our web usage.
                                                     
     Safari and Reader View                   with Laurence Head
Laurence started with providing an overview of Safari 15 Reader View on macOS Big Sur.  Reader View appears as an icon in the top-left corner of your Safari search bar, and it reworks your webpage into an organized, ad-free layout to help you focus on just reading the content and viewing any associated pictures.

He used The Globe and Mail web site as an example. If you go to a specific story, you can toggle Reader View on and off.  It's a clean user interface with text and pictures. Some sites won't allow Reader View.

Laurence has also enabled Safari to block some website tracking.   Tracking is the collection and sharing of information about an individual's activity on the internet — what they do online, and how they go about doing it. This gives companies a fuller understanding of your preferences, allowing them to personalize their content accordingly.  Apple can currently block 26 trackers on The Weather Network and 45 trackers on The Weather Channel.

Another way of maintaining privacy is to open a Private Window (no History, cookies or stored information).  It's like a new search, totally anonymous.

Safari is also offering extensions such as Content Blockers, Ghostery, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials.  These typically appear on your Safari toolbar and can provide a second line of defence after Apple has done its job. 

Overall, Laurence is happy with Safari and the Apple ecosystem ... "drinking the Kool-Aid."

     Duck Duck Go Private Browser         with Lynda Matsumoto
Many of us have been happily using DuckDuckGo as a tracker free alternative to the Google search engine.  Lynda demonstrated that there is also a DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser[/i] app available for iOS and macOS, and as a Safari extension for macOS.

https://duckduckgo.com

DuckDuckGo is a small Pennsylvania-based company, non profit, funded by angel investors and donations. Their privacy policy is simple: they don't collect or share any of your personal information.

You can download from the App Store and the macOS version can be added as an icon to your dock.  It allows everything you can do in Safari including stripping out advertising.  You can toggle on a display of how many things have been blocked and who are the trackers and their corresponding web sites.  Each site is given a privacy rating. 

You can fireproof a website. This means that the website's cookies and local storage won't be cleared when using the "Clear all tabs and data" function (represented by a fire icon, hence fireproof).

The app also allows you to privatize your email. This free forwarding service removes email trackers and protects the privacy of your personal email address without asking you to change email services or apps.

The web site includes an excellent crash course on privacy.  Remember, if you are using the "free" Google service,  "you" are the product.

https://spreadprivacy.com

     Firefox and Ghostery                       with Neil Herber
Neil likes the Firefox browser because it is platform agnostic and appears the same across all systems.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/

Mobile browsers typically do not support extensions as opposed to desktop browsers, although iOS 15 now allows Safari extensions. There are now a number of Safari iOS extensions available.  DuckDuckGo is not yet one of them.

DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials is also available for Firefox (and for Chrome and Safari).  Firefox also supports the blocking of trackers, but keep in mind that some trackers may be essential for a web site to work.

Ghostery is a free and open-source privacy and security-related browser extension and mobile browser application. It uncovers the trackers on each website and empowers you to control the ones you don't want for a cleaner, faster, and safer browsing experience.

https://www.ghostery.com

Neil demonstrated Firefox and Ghostery on an M1 mac and Firefox on an iPad.   With the iPad version there are no extensions but some settings.  You don't have the option of adding Ghostery.   It still does a reasonably good privacy job.  You can also open an Igognito window, which keeps your browser history private.  You can tell Firefox itself to block pop-up ads.

You can pause Ghostery and see how many trackers now get through. For example, CBC has 13 trackers with Ghostery, 15 without.  CNN has 42 trackers with and 45 without.   CCN can detect that you are using an ad blocker ... you can ignore.  In some instances, one tracker will load and then initiate the loading of additional trackers.

Firefox also has privacy settings and a find bar.  There is an option to clear all cookies and data when the browser is quit.

Neil believes that Safari is still pretty good (perhaps the better option) on an iOS device.

2 - Apple's September 14th event PLUS
     Members' M1 experiences
Because the first session went longer than expected and there was so much announced on the 14th, this topic was deferred to a future meeting.

3 - Q & A / Fixit Forum
MarySue is looking for a 30 pin connector cable for an older iPod.  LeRoy offered to help her out, one on one.

Lynda is trying to get rid of her old, no longer relevant WiFi networks on her modem.  Under WiFi networks you can see a list.  Neil indicated that you should be able to forget specific networks.  Lynda says that the same list appears on every device.  She clears them out and they are repopulated.  Neil offered to help her out, one on one.