What does it take to be private in today's online world?
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| "data privacy" by stockcatalog is marked with CC BY 2.0. |
This week I've been exploring the topic of privacy. I don't know anyone who is not online in some way. For most of us, the online world is an integral part of our every day lives, whether we are using Google Maps to safely arrive at a destination, checking in with loved ones on a messenger app, or receiving an email from work. Whether you grew up on the internet or not we all need to be aware of what happens when we step foot online and give away information about ourselves. As an educator of young children I feel it is my responsibility to teach my students digital citizen skills, which includes navigating online spaces safely. These will be lifelong skills for this generation. It is also my responsibility to keep my students' data safe while they use school devices. This year we actually came across a problem with a popular literacy app called EPIC! not following Illinois' Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA) law. This was a deal breaker for my school district and they decided not to allow our students to use it. This was a shame because the app is a great database of reading material and it was well-loved by my students. Student privacy is important to me and my school district. The Prey Project does a nice job of unpacking the privacy laws our country has in place in this article. We need these laws to ensure that online platforms are not collecting data from our students. But I'm wondering, what else should we be aware of?
One article from the New York Times gave some tips to help us avoid leaving our data on the internet. What I've learned is that it is hard to be private when using big (useful) programs which are mostly related to Google or Facebook. Both Google and Facebook make money by selling our data to companies who want to sell us things. Unfortunately, Google and Facebook log ins are a common way to use many websites and apps. One suggestion was to stop using Google email. Are you willing to pay a monthly fee to use a more private email service who won't sell your data? After decades of using Gmail, I'm not sure I'm prepared to do that. The actions that you take to protect yourself will depend on how creeped out you are by being stalked on the internet. If you are an Apple user there's some good news for you, Apple devices and apps protect your data because that is not a revenue stream for them, instead they make money off of selling their hardware. Another tip was to not answer personal questions about yourself on social media profiles if you don't have to. Be stingy with your personal information.
This Time article gives more useful information about online privacy. Author Manoush Zomorodi reminds us that our cell phones are essentially tracking devices. Thanks to our prolific use of our devices, companies have a lot of information about us. Although most of us say we are worried about this, we don't do a whole lot about it. I myself feel sort of trapped in this situation. How can I not use Google or Facebook? I've relied on them for years for personal and professional use. And if you've ever thought about thoroughly reading user agreements before using a new app keep in mind that researchers estimate it would take 76 hours a year to read all of the user agreements we come across. Here are some things Zomorodi says we can do: use unique passwords for every account we have, use some encrypted tools (like messaging apps), go through your apps and adjust the access settings, and really think before you post on social media.
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| "Man and woman using electronic device free image" by Rawpixel Ltd is marked with CC0 1.0. |
This week I also read an article from Wired about artificial intelligence (AI), how it holds onto personal data, and how this will affect the new generations. The crucial point is this - in the past, society has generally allowed children to make mistakes, learn from them and grow. But when children are coming of age online, where all their choices and mistakes are recorded and used for profit, will AI allow children to do this? How do parents and teachers help children navigate this? Historically we've tried to protect children (TV, movie and video game ratings come to mind), but this is a relatively new situation we are in. Those that are in charge of AI may not be interested in regulating safety because they profit from the data.
This invasion of our privacy and data is not what the internet was intended for. The internet is supposed to provide equal access to information. As users of the internet and technology teachers it's good to be aware of these privacy issues and the steps we can take to protect ourselves. I think it's a good idea to model safe online practices as well as have our students practice them so that they are set up future success.
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteMy school also had several apps we used regularly on the "not approved" list this year. One was Kahoot! which my students love. It was hard not using Kahoot! but I had to abide by the school's approved vendor list. I adjusted and used Nearpod's similar game feature. I did feel a bit better when I heard about Apple products not selling your data. That is a small relief, but I definitely need to take a good look at my online habits and ways to protect my privacy.
Hi Sheila,
DeleteI hadn't heard about Kahoot! so thanks for sharing that. I'm glad that Nearpod made a decent replacement!
Sheila, Kahoot! is one of those interesting ones. The students can play the game without any data being collected so technically is *should* be allowed but each district has their own guidelines they are following.
DeleteHi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI want to look more in to SOPPA. I feel like we think about information privacy when it comes to our personal accounts but. not so much when it comes to using these apps in our classrooms. Data tracking is an area of digital citizenship that kids don't often hear about in this capacity. Kids hear about not sharing private information with a stranger, but how mat of them are really aware of how much information they are sharing just by sharing a TikTok on Twitter? Looking at the terms of service project this week really opened my eyes to how data tracking and third-parties purchasing information for advertising are more ingrained in my online usage than I realized.
Hi Jenny,
DeleteI agree! We tend to cover the issue of "stranger danger" with our students but not this issue of data sharing, and I wonder if my K and 1 students would even "get it" if I tried to explain. Thoroughly reading TOS's is definitely eye opening.
Hello Laura!
ReplyDeleteI feel so out of touch/tune with SOPPA and the "not approved" lists. Being in Pre-k it is like a different beast, and apps are not one of them. Which I think for myself, makes it that much harder and worrisome for myself and my privacy knowing that I am not aware of these things. My dad just turned 64 at the beginning of March and he does not have a cell phone at all. Part of his reasoning was that he is deaf from his job over the years and he said, "Oh, I do not need it." Fast forward to now, he does have hearing aides, however, I just can not even begin to think of him with a phone. He has no clue to any of this! Not a clue to Facebook anything. We have talked over time that if he was to get one, we would probably set him up with Apple. I learned that Apple does a decent job at protecting their customers and their privacy, which would be a good start for him. The other alarming item that resonates with me is the covering of the camera. I am guilty of not doing this and it just baffles me how easily I passed this up, knowing that I worry about my privacy.
Hi Staci,
DeleteGood luck to your dad! I do think Apple devices have really intuitive interfaces but I am admittedly pretty biased.
I was also surprised that covering our cameras is a legitimate safety measure!
Thanks for touching on SOPPA! Not all districts are explaining what this is, or why it is in place and are instead just saying "no" so it was great to see it mentioned.
ReplyDelete