CHICAGO — Dark forces conspire online to undermine privacy, compromise accounts, stalk, troll and just plain creep us out. Libraries have a longstanding tradition of protecting their users’ privacy and confidentiality, but often fail to take basic steps to protect patrons’ use of their public access computers and digital resources.

Registration is now open for "Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts," the 2014 Choose Privacy Week webinar. Presenter Eric Stroshane, field services librarian for the North Dakota State Library, will discuss how online surveillance works, give practical tips on improving privacy on public computers and provide a better understanding of current legal threats to digital privacy and online anonymity.

Ann Crewdson and Helen Adams, co-chairs of the ALA-IFC Privacy Subcommittee, will provide a brief introduction to the newly revised ALA Privacy Tool Kit that includes new sections on the impact of emerging technologies on library users’ privacy.

The free, hour-long online webinar will take place from 2 – 3 p.m. Central time on Monday, May 5, 2014. Register for this free webinar: http://ala.adobeconnect.com/choose_privacy_2014/event/event_info.html. Space is limited, and registration is first come, first serve. Registrants will be able to access the recorded and archived webinar after May 5. For questions about registration or using the webinar platform, contact Deborah Caldwell-Stone at dstone@ala.org.

Choose Privacy Week 2014 takes place May 1-7 and asks librarians and library users to engage in a conversation about protecting privacy rights all year long, both inside and outside the library.

Sponsored annually by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), Choose Privacy Week provides individuals with resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy.

For information about Choose Privacy Week 2014, visit chooseprivacyweek.org or email Deborah Caldwell-Stone at dstone@ala.org.

Posters, buttons, and resources for Choose Privacy Week are available online through the ALA Store.