First of all and most important for some people, the site is ergonomically laid out. A friendly welcome page tells you where you are and gives you a pointer on where everything is. A quick menu on the left hand side allows you to instantly access anything that you wish. So if you wanted to search by broad topic you were concerned about, say being safe and having a solid plan for a fire, you could search the “fire safety” link. Or if you are a parent or guardian and are concerned about child safety, you could click on the “kid safety” link to bulk up on strategies and techniques to keep your loved ones safer than ever.

The site includes many articles about this broad spectrum of topics. The articles are neatly organized and easy to navigate, as they are in chronological order. This eliminates the possibility of reading an article about “phishing” before you even know what it is! Once a topic that interests you from the umbrella of themes is selected, you are brought to a page that shows all of the articles in chronological order, as was aforementioned. Then you pick from the one you are most interested in and read and glean all of the pertinent and well-researched information that it has to provide. There are excellent Internet safety articles here that talk about IP addresses, and even gives information on how to use change IP proxies to change static IP addresses.

Although some sites about safety can feel sterile and machine-run, this one is definitely an exception. The graphics and design of the site isn’t really flashy, and you can tell it is a labor of love by the sheriffs, and not one out to make a profit or tout the University of Oklahoma’s greatness. There are fade out and fade in graphics to each page, and sound effects to keep everyone awake and interested.

There is a page where it gives a little bit of info about citizen’s arrest. Then, in a sardonic manner, (and it says it is satirical) it allows you to fill out a form to arrest yourself. This is a funny way to keep kids aware of the processes and have a couple of laughs; one of the procedures says you can only talk to yourself, no one else.) This comedic relief is a god-send for parents trying to show kids that being safe and being educated on it doesn’t always have to be a boring and banal affair.

This site is so useful. It represents key information in an exciting and engaging manner. Filled to the brim with generous amounts of imperative  information, you can spend hours browsing the site and become an expert on every kind of safety. Even though this generation is known by the meme of “Information Generation”, most people neglect to learn about online safety. Hackers and identity thieves improve their skills as an illicit profession, and they prey on innocent and blissfully unaware users; and it is as easy as taking candy from a baby for them. Don’t be a sitting duck for these criminals! This site has a wealth of security information; learn about privacy filters, firewalls, and what your IP address actually does and how you can change your IP. The site even provides you with an extensive list of phone numbers to put to record to use during an emergency! Make http://www.ou.edu/oupd/doclist.htm your first stop on your journey to bolster your safety all around, because you won’t need to go any further!

Basically, this organization monitors and keeps an eye on things that keep an eye on us, and if they step out of line, PI is there to put them back in their place. In addition to that, they hope to educate Internet goers about the dangers and precautions they need to take in their virtual homes. They also do independent research on emerging technologies and how these can be utilized to bolster the protection of individuals. They even go to different legislative bodies throughout the world and make different presentations and try to spark reform.

All of this is accomplished by a vast website that holds all of the information pertinent to their ideology and concerns. Upon entrance of the site, you instantly see articles and other sections devoted to happenings in the now around the globe related to privacy and surveillance. If you are looking to research a particular subject or area of concern, there is a convenient box in the left side of the screen that meticulously sorts all articles of a particular subject and arranges them in a neat, easy-to-access fashion. Let’s say you are interested in the fight against terrorism and new developments in it, there is a news column titled “Anti-Terrorism” that is just what you need, and there are many more for a myriad of subjects.

Privacy International represents a hope that all is not lost in the everlasting battle for privacy. In this day and age, when personal privacy sometimes seems like a ideal of long ago, someone has to stand up and fight. Privacy International is doing just that, and it isn’t waiting for people to report injustice, it is proactive and goes and finds it and dogs it out, just like a watchdog would.

PI’s website is laid in an easily navigable fashion. On the main page are links to every part of the site. Also, all of the recent articles and documents can be found here. Directly to the left are awards and other garnishes Privacy International has been awarded. Near that is the aforementioned “Areas” section that is a godsend when trying to find one specific article in the sea of articles that they publish. Luckily, they catalogue all of them neatly and keep all of them so they can be referred to later.

Privacy International was formed in 1990 when the world became cognizant of the massive amount of unauthorized and unmerited surveillance and reconnaissance that was being performed without people knowing. With this new epiphany, and the fear that came with it, something had to be done: people’s First Amendment and Privacy Rights were being violated. In response to this invasion of privacy, more than one hundred human rights and privacy experts from forty countries commiserated and formed the Privacy International. Although the organization was disorganized as any fledging organization would be, within a couple of years they were on their feet and fighting privacy invasions, and becoming the “watchdog.” To date, they have published more than thirty major reports and have been awarded many garnishes for their valiant and philanthropic efforts.

Privacy International operates solely off of user contributions. You wouldn’t think so though, for sites like this are usually begging you to help them out as soon as you log onto the site. Privacy International makes no mention of their non-profit status, and only if you wish, you can visit the contributions page and donate some money. There is no obligation, and you aren’t even alerted of the site’s charity department until you surf and find it yourself. While it doesn’t hurt to have a company beg you for money, it sure is annoying, and you will find none of that on Privacy International.

In order to get more involved or get more information from Privacy International, one has to go no further than their main page. Right at the top is an option to donate, get more information, or even look them up on different sites. PI knows that some people don’t like to get their information from different sites, so they hooked up on both FaceBook and Twitter. This way you don’t have to leave your social site to get the latest scoop on offending organizations and how to protect yourself. On the main page directly to the left, you will see a couple of images: “Support PI”, “Privacy and Human Rights”, etc. These will allow you to visit sites affiliated with Privacy International, and even give you links to some things that PI runs. For example, the “Stupid Security” awards; what security programs are the most convoluted and do anything but make you secure.

If you are looking for a place to become more educated about privacy invasions, and the full extent of your First Amendment rights, look no further than http://www.privacyinternational.org/. This organization is fighting for your rights every day, and would be a wise source to bulk up on your Internet knowledge and security know-how.  They patrol the Internet searching with intense conviction to find any evil-doers who threaten to compromise your privacy and get them before they get you. Visit the home of the “watchdog” today, and be prepared (sorry McGruff) to take a bite out of crime.

RSF (as the site will be referred to from here on) is primarily a news site, dealing with any issues that are pertinent throughout the globe., but particularly focusing on ones about freedom.

The site is very easily laid out. Some news websites can be quite convoluted, with headlines all over the screen, distracting your attention this way and that, but RSF lays their website out to be easily navigable: at the top, the major news. Near the middle, news organized by country and region. At the bottom, a “barometer”, showing journalist casualties, media assistants imprisoned, among other things to allow a quick check-up on foreign affairs. Underneath this, there is a search engine that allows you to view all things pertinent to a year, view Internet threats by country, or do an overall world report. On the side, there is merchandise to buy, and other sites the site recommends. Unlike some sites, RSF doesn’t have pop-ups touting its merchandise, and it doesn’t throw itself at you begging you to buy something.

RSF stands for “Reporter Sans Frontieres”, or, as the English speaking would say, “Reporter Without Borders.” The name follows suit with their organization; they don’t shy away from sensitive news, and won’t stop reporting just because a country doesn’t like it. They believe in Internet freedom, and demonstrate this by reporting the real news and hot topics all of the time, and not leaving anything out. Here you may find articles about the killing of journalists, or even writing protesting an oppressive leader’s habits. They take no prisoners; the way news should be. They don’t sugarcoat anything, calling Iran “the world’s biggest Internet jail”. This is true, and most news companies would have trouble coming out and saying it. The site even has a “Predators” section on its main page, which brazenly point out online predators to keep tabs on.

The site was formed in France with the original intention of being an alternative journalism site. After that failed, the current owner set the site’s sights on freedom of press. You can see the hints of alternative journalism throughout the site, but the freedom of press is palpable as soon as you log on. The site is a contributing member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, an organization dedicated to finding and revealing to the world unjust cases of people’s freedom of press and rights. In 2005, they actually won the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, and graciously shared it with two other organizations. Recently, the site has released books and guides to help the average person remain anonymous on the Internet, and avoid censorship.

The site has a whole section called “Things We Like.” This is a collection of things that constantly update and show things that tie-in with the site’s aim for freedom of press and Internet expression. Currently, they are advertising a benefit for a journalist named Samir Kassir who was killed unjustly in a car bombing. He was described as a “talented and courageous” journalist, who risked and eventually gave his life to bring the real news to the public. The “Events” and “Campaigns” sections brings the things the website believes enhance and further their cause into the light. Investigating any three of these links will provide a user with ways to learn more and possibly participate in the website and its related causes. There is a section on the main page that provides an in-depth biography of the site, and a unique section that explains their expenditures, something very rare on the Internet. If you are really interested and have a fire for the subject matter, there is a tab called “Work With Us”, where one could find themselves the author of these Fourth Amendment touting articles.

Having a freedom of expression and press is a rapidly waning reality in a world where censorship, and sometimes simply believing the phrase “Ignorance is bliss” blocks us from knowing the true goings-on of the world. This site cuts through all of that: no matter how terrible the story is, if it needs to be heard, it will be. They also won’t back down to censorship or government pressure, and have seen many rewards for it. RSF always delivers the inside scoop in a convenient fashion, and hosts it on a visually appealing and easy to follow website. They leave no one behind either, hosting 6 of the world’s most popular languages. If you want the real news, and nothing but, and completely uncensored, look no further than RSF. If you just want a quick debriefing on the state of affairs around the world, take a quick look at the bottom of the main page and choose your country of concern. RSF is truly the people’s news.

Instead of dealing with the convolution that log-in names and passwords bring to users, Pogo has a great system. The recent news is right on the main screen, a big search bar in the corner will allow you keyword access to a huge variety of topics.

In case you were looking for older pieces of news, Pogo has a great Archives system. This allows you to re-visit any old piece of news you were interested in, or just catch up on something you missed. Either way, it is very useful.

Although the search bar is nice, perhaps you just want to see all of the news and documents pertaining to one subject. There is a categories function, which allows you to do just that. Let’s say that you wanted to view all of the news outside of the U.S. You could either type in what you are looking for, or you could just go to the “Non-U.S. News” category.

PogoWasRight also features another thing that sets their site apart; the embedding of videos. This allows the site to put videos right into the content of their site, and not just send you on a wild link-hunt to try and watch the video you wanted. This video are often uploaded from YouTube, and with the media giant’s backing, load quickly and appear crisply on screen.

If you are surfing news on the site, and come across a text piece, RSS feed, or video that someone you know would be interested in, you can click the “Share” function, and your recipient will be quickly sent a message with the document you attached to be viewed in a convenient package.

As far as sources for privacy news go, PogoWasRight is a force to be reckoned with. Their site layout and meticulously catalogued information is tough to beat. They are always up-to-date, and compatible with many different forms of viewing.

Check it out now at www.PogoWasRight.org.