Privacy

Privacy

Lock it down.

Brief

Privacy is increasingly important in a digital environment, not just because of the risk of what we consciously put online, but because of the digital traces of ourselves we leave without even knowing it. As companies learn to make money off of our data, we have the right and responsibility to resist being exploited in these ways.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand the threats to digital privacy and the best strategies for mitigating those threats
  • Implement best practices in digital privacy
  • Learn about advocacy for digital rights

Options and Variations

Resources and Tools

Bibliography

Angwin, Julia. “How to Protect Your Digital Privacy in the Era of Public Shaming.” ProPublica, January 26, 2017. https://www.propublica.org/article/how-to-protect-your-digital-privacy-in-the-era-of-public-shaming.
CollegeHumor. The Terrifying Cost of "Free” Websites | Adam Ruins Everything, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pFX2P7JLwA.
“CryptoParty.” Accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.cryptoparty.in/.
Digital Learning & Inquiry (DLINQ). “Digital Detox.” Accessed February 13, 2023. https://dlinq.middcreate.net/digitaldetox/.
Electronic Frontier Foundation. “Privacy.” Electronic Frontier Foundation. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.eff.org/issues/privacy.
Hsu, Jeremy. “The Strava Heat Map Shows Even Militaries Can’t Keep Secrets from Social Data.” Wired. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.wired.com/story/strava-heat-map-military-bases-fitness-trackers-privacy/.
Leswing, Kif. “A Seemingly Innocent Website Knows Who Your Family Members Are and Where They Live.” Business Insider. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.businessinsider.com/my-family-tree-how-to-opt-out-and-remove-personal-information-2017-1.
Liptak, Andrew. “Amazon’s Alexa Started Ordering People Dollhouses after Hearing Its Name on TV.” The Verge, January 7, 2017. https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/7/14200210/amazon-alexa-tech-news-anchor-order-dollhouse.
Tunney, Catharine. “As TikTok Faces Data-Harvesting Claims, Spy Agency Warns Canadians to Protect Themselves | CBC News.” CBC, January 22, 2023. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cse-tik-tok-china-1.6720793.