The issue of digital security and privacy should be a paramount concern to the modern court reporter.  Your biggest risk? Believing “it won’t happen to me.”

Individuals and companies, small and large, often neglect developing their security infrastructure until an attack occurs and it’s too late. No one is spared from the interest of cyber-criminals. Largely hackers are indiscriminate in their approach, choosing to cast a broad net to collect information and reviewing what they’ve plundered for value after the attack. It’s not necessarily about YOU, it’s about the numbers.

As guardians of the record, court reporters have access to a broad expanse of privileged and confidential information and it is their individual responsibility to protect that data. The NCRA’s Code of Professional Ethics states, “(Reporters must) preserve confidentially and ensure the security of information, oral or written, entrusted to the reporter by any parties in a proceeding.” This extends to work product transmitted or stored by your devices and any individuals you employ in your professional practice, i.e. Scopists and Proofreaders.

The first step in protecting yourself is recognizing that the human factor is weakest link to your security infrastructure and acting to protect your digital security based on that fact.  With the busy life of a court reporter it’s difficult to stay apprised of the latest security trends. The good news is that there are some core guidelines that are a sound starting point to develop your digital security toolkit and to mitigate your risk and exposure. Here are some of our top recommendations as to how you can protect yourself and your work product.