Safety Resource Center/Wikimedia, Safety and Human Rights/Safety Glossary
Safety Glossary
This page contains an alphabetical glossary of all technical terms and concepts used on this resource center.
A
[edit]Access controls
[edit]Security controls that manage access, authorization and accountability of information.
Access to information
[edit]In Human Rights, access to information is a part of freedom of expression. It means that individuals should be able to seek and obtain important information that allows them to express their opinion, make informed decisions and take part in democratic processes.
Account takeover (ATO)
[edit]Type of identity fraud where a person’s existing credentials are leveraged to take control of their financial, credit, email or social media accounts.
Software that displays unwanted advertising and often tracks users.
Software that helps find and remove harmful programs (like viruses) on your computer or phone.
The access you allow apps to have (like your camera, microphone, or location).
Authenticator app
[edit]Authenticator apps are commonly used for two/multi-factor authentication. They generate codes used to identify yourself when logging in to a service.
Authenticator physical key/Hardware security key
[edit]Authenticator physical keys are small physical devices commonly used for two/multi-factor authentication. When logging into a service, they can be plugged into/tapped onto your phone or laptop to identify yourself.
B
[edit]Behavioral profiling
[edit]Building detailed user profiles from data to predict preferences, vulnerabilities or behaviors. (See also: ‘social engineering’).
Biometric locking
[edit]Use of facial recognition, finger print, or eye scans for unlocking devices. (See also: Biometric device)
Biometric surveillance
[edit]Use of facial recognition or other biometrics for tracking or identification. (See also: Biometric identification by country)
A way for websites to identify your browser and give it a unique “fingerprint” by tracking device, browser and network information (such as time zone, language, operating system, screen resolution, access times, etc.).
C
[edit]When an individual creates a fake online profile with the intent of committing fraud or deception. While it is most commonly seen on dating or social networking sites, catfishing is often used to gain access to funds or secure information.
Blocking, removing or suppressing lawful content or speech.
Compromised account
[edit]An account where someone other than the owner has gained access and account security has been breached.
Saving files on the internet instead of your device's hardware (like Google Drive or iCloud).
Small bits of data websites save on your browser to remember things about you.
Cookie walls and dark patterns
[edit]Design practices that can manipulate and confuse users to make consent choices that are preferred by the website, often for the purpose of obtaining more personal data.
The practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity and availability of information by protecting networks, devices, people and data from unauthorized access or criminal exploitation.
D
[edit]Data at rest/Data in transit
[edit]Data at rest is the data stored directly on your device’s hard drive or in the cloud. Data in transit is data that is moving across networks or devices.
Unauthorized access to or disclosure of sensitive personal data. This can be because of a stolen device, a malware attack, account compromising, sending sensitive information to the wrong person, etc.
A company that collects personal information about people and then analyzes and sells this data to third parties, commonly for marketing purposes.
Data harvesting
[edit]Aggregation and sale of personal data by intermediaries without user awareness.
AI-generated audio/video/images that convincingly imitate real people.
The trail of data and personal information that you leave behind as you use various apps and websites. This includes information you actively put on the internet (for example social media posts), but also the data that apps and websites passively track (IP addresses, cookies etc.).
Digital safety means being careful about online threats when you're on the internet. This includes protecting your personal information, keeping your identity private, and making sure your online conversations are secure.
Monitoring and tracking of people’s online and offline activities. It can happen in different, overlapping forms: network surveillance (monitoring internet traffic), device and malware-based surveillance (spyware, keyloggers, remote access tools), biometric or location-based tracking (face-scans, license plate readers, body-cameras, CCTV, …) and corporate profiling (ad-tech and data brokers).
Digital threats/Cyber threats
[edit]Digital threats are the potential harms that can happen to you when you interact with digital technologies online. Motives include getting access to sensitive data, financial fraud, surveillance, intimidation, identity theft, etc.
Dignity
[edit]Human dignity means believing that every person has value. In human rights law, dignity is the foundation of all other rights and freedoms. It’s not a right by itself, but it’s what makes all other rights possible.
Disadvantaged groups
[edit]Some groups of people face economic, social, political or cultural challenges because of things like their race, gender, sex, age, disability, religion, or where they come from. These groups often face unfair treatment over a long period of time, and this unfairness can become a “normal” part of society (systematic discrimination).
Disappearing messages
[edit]Messages that auto-delete after a certain period of time.
When a third party forwards a company’s web visitors to fake websites to steal login credentials and confidential data.
Collecting and public sharing of someone else’s personal information online with the intent to cause harm. This information can be a real name, phone number, email address, social media accounts, photos, date of birth, home or work addresses, etc.
E
[edit]Encryption/End-to-end encryption (E2EE)
[edit]The process of converting information or data into a code, especially to prevent unauthorized access. Encrypted communication tools “scramble” your data before it leaves your device and only decrypt it when it reaches the intended recipient’s device. This protects you from interference by governments and cyber-criminals.
Equity
[edit]Equity is about giving people resources based on what they need in their specific circumstance. Equality, on the other hand, means giving everyone the same amount of resources, no matter what their situation is.
Weaknesses in your device’s operating system or apps that can be used to attack you.
F
[edit]A security tool that blocks unwanted internet traffic from reaching your device.
Freedom of expression
[edit]Freedom of expression (or freedom of speech) means you can hold and share your opinions without interference from the government and other entities. This also includes the right to seek, receive, and share information in any form, regardless of country borders. However, freedom of expression is a “qualified right,” meaning it can be limited if it threatens public safety or other people’s rights (for example, if it promotes violence).
Full disk encryption
[edit]A method to protect all data at rest on your hard drive and protect yourself against unauthorized access in case your device is stolen or breached. Disk encryption “scrambles” all of your data into unreadable code that can only be decrypted with the right key (password, biometric lock, etc.).
G
[edit]Geolocation tracking
[edit]Continuous collection of device location data enabling precise tracking.
Good faith
[edit]When someone contributes to Wikimedia projects in good faith, it means they are doing so with honest and positive intentions, without wanting to cause harm.
H
[edit]Stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. A communication protocol that encrypts the data travelling between your device/web browser and the website you visit.
Human rights (also called “fundamental rights” or “universal rights”) are basic freedoms and protections meant to respect the dignity of every person. These rights belong to everyone, no matter their race, gender, nationality, language, religion, or other characteristics. Human rights include things like the right to life, freedom from slavery and torture, the right to speak freely, the right to work, and the right to education. These rights are part of laws in countries worldwide and International Human Rights Law. They are supported and fought for by many human rights defenders and advocates across regions and disciplines.
Hybrid threats
[edit]Hybrid threats use different combinations of digital, physical, legal and psycho-social threats. For example: A bad actor might doxx someone’s home address (digital) and then send someone there to assault and intimidate them (physical and psycho-social).
I
[edit]Incognito/ Private Mode
[edit]A browser mode that doesn’t save your history or cookies after you close it.
When someone steals your personal information to pretend to be you.
IP address/Internet Protocol address
[edit]A unique numeric identifier for every device connected to the internet.
K
[edit]A type of malware that tracks what you type on your device’s keyboard.
Knowledge equity
[edit]In the past, access to knowledge has been unfairly distributed, with certain groups being left out because of power imbalances. The Wikimedia Movement works to change this by helping everyone access the resources they need to create and share information.
M
[edit]Malicious links/URLs/attachments
[edit]Link/attachment created by an attacker that enables viruses or malware to access devices or convince a user to provide credentials.
Malicious software designed to spy, encrypt, or take control of systems.
Compromising users through unsecure networks like public Wi-Fi.
P
[edit]A long password made of different random words.
A tool to safely store login credentials.
This is when someone is targeted or treated badly or unfairly because of who they are, what they do, or what they believe. It can include things like physical harm, mental abuse, or unfair legal actions. (Don’t mix it up with "prosecution," which is just the process of taking someone to court.)
Personal identifying information (PII)
[edit]A combination of data that can be used to identify someone (name, phone number, email address, passport number, social security number, home and work address, information on family members, location, etc.).
Using fraudulent messages that look like they come from a seemingly legitimate source, for example co-workers, governments, banks, postal service etc.). This tricks users into revealing information (like login credentials) or executing an action (like clicking on a malicious link). Phishing is commonly used to install malware, surveil and extort. Variants include spear-phishing (messaging is tailored to the recipient to be more convincing), vishing (voice phishing, carried out over a call).
Physical threats
[edit]Threats that cause harm to your bodily wellbeing.
Psycho-social threats
[edit]Threats that cause harm to your mental, emotional and social wellbeing.
R
[edit]Type of malware that can lock a device or encrypt its content. This prevents the user from accessing their personal files in order to extort money. Ransomware can appear in different forms.
A type of malware that gives the attacker remote access and control to a compromised device.
Risk/risk mitigation
[edit]Risk means the chance that something bad might happen. Risk mitigation is about figuring out what the risks are and taking actions to prevent or lessen their impact.
S
[edit]Secure communications
[edit]Ways of protecting information while it’s being sent so that only the intended people can see it. They rely on three main ideas:
- Confidentiality: keeping the information private from others.
- Integrity: making sure the information isn’t changed during transmission.
- Authentication: confirming that the people communicating are really who they say they are.
This is when someone purposely hides or changes what they say or do because they’re afraid of negative consequences. They might do this out of pressure or fear, even if they don’t want to.
Self-doxxing
[edit]Trying to find personal identifying information about yourself on the internet with the aim of preventing a doxxing attack and improving your digital safety.
A type of login authentication that allows you to access accounts for multiple services with one single set of credentials (for example “sign in with Google”).
Different forms of tricks to manipulate people into sharing sensitive information, sending money, compromising their security, etc. Social engineering makes use of human emotions such as trust, fear, panic or respect for authority.
A deception tactic where a bad actor pretends to be a trusted entity by using fake websites, phone numbers, IP addresses, etc. that look like the real one.
Malware that’s used to gather and sell information without consent.
T
[edit]Threat
[edit]A threat is when someone says or implies they will harm you, either physically or morally, or damage your property.
Type of malware that hides behind a harmless-looking program to sneak into your device or system. It often pretends to be legitimate software to gain your trust. Once installed, it can give cybercriminals access to your device, allowing them to steal, delete, block, copy or alter sensitive information.
Two-factor/Multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA)
[edit]A security step when logging into your account that asks for a second proof that it’s really you (like a code sent to your phone or a push notification).
V
[edit]VPN (Virtual private network)
[edit]A tool that hides your internet traffic and location. The VPN directs your internet traffic through a secure tunnel between your device and a VPN server. This can protect your data from being tracked and intercepted.
A type of malware that spreads between computers and can compromise your data.
The exploitation of electronic voice communication to obtain sensitive information or to impersonate a known source.
Vulnerability
[edit]Vulnerabilities are things that make it more likely you could be hurt or that could increase the damage you experience. These can be due to being part of a group that’s often targeted (like indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people or human rights activists), or because of your personal situation (like having a medical condition, being elderly, or living alone in a remote area).
W
[edit]WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3)
[edit]A security protocol used to encrypt wireless networks.
Malware that can duplicate and spread itself across systems on its own.