As an educator my privacy is something that is very important to me. I am aware of my digital footprint and aim to always represent myself positively and professionally at work and online. However, as the boundaries of online privacy are continually changing I feel that it is an area where all educators should continue to be knowledgeable. My main concern is that I’m not sure what exactly I should be concerned about.
Privacy online can be distinguished into two main categories:
- Personally Identifiable Information (name, age, address etc.)
- Non-Personally Identifiable Information (your behaviour on a site)
A useful website, ‘Mark It Write‘ has a great ‘Beginners Guide to Online Privacy‘. Part of the guidelines explain the importance of not using your telephone number or date of birth online:
‘your date of birth is also a key piece of information that is often used for identity verification purposes by various providers. And the same is true about your telephone number.’
https://www.markitwrite.com/beginners-guide-protecting-online-privacy/
Other tips are mostly to avoid advertisers tracking your browsing habits including blocking cookies and location services. However, as a keen online shopper and someone who enjoys the increased convenience of the internet I don’t feel the need to block all cookies and data location services.
Julia Powles wrote an interesting article in the guardian recently about data privacy which has helped me to understand what my concerns should be.
Privacy is about having decisional power, control, over which acts and events of our lives are disclosed and to whom, free from the prying eyes of states, corporations and neighbours. Privacy affords us the freedom to develop ourselves in the world.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/06/data-privacy-europe-facebook
The element of control over how my data is used is perhaps something that I have taken for granted. Previously we had more choice about what and how we share about ourselves but as technology continues to evolve at an astonishing rate we have to accept that the notion of privacy has changed. I enjoyed reading @braevans recent post ‘Goodbye Privacy‘ where he states that it now is ‘simply a matter of limiting how public we are’.
https://www.coetail.com/bradleyevans/2015/04/08/goodbye-privacy/
As I continue my adventure into ed tech I will attempt to stay knowledgeable about my own online privacy. This will begin with understanding my expectations of what privacy is and why it is important. I will also research, share and reflect on my awareness of how my own data and online habits are used and why. Hopefully this will help me to have some control over how my information is used.
Hi Amanda, Thanks for your blog post with all the useful links! Online privacy has been and continues to be a hot topic in media, and even more so in education. How do we properly prepare students for the changing rules and norms of privacy? In my blog post I shared this link (https://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-need-to-know-vicki-davis) that details the “9 P’s” to teach students about online safety and digital citizenship. I find myself sometimes torn between the general fear surrounding online privacy and students, and the amazing opportunities granted to students when they are able to share parts of themselves online. Right now many schools seem to take the fear-based approach and try to ban as much online access and connection opportunities for students as possible so that they are ‘protected’. I’m not sure that is the most responsible choice for schools, since if we aren’t educating students on their digital footprints, who will?
I also think it’s somewhat frightening how quickly we are losing control over our what information is shared, but I wonder if ultimately it will somehow benefit us in a way we can’t even imagine yet. If anything, I find myself taking for granted how many sites do save information and passwords for you already, and am annoyed when new privacy steps are enforced, such as an SMS to my cell phone or a verification code. Sometimes I find it confusing to have more than 20 passwords and usernames (or variations of them) to keep track of that I wonder if it wouldn’t be easier for everything to just be in one place. This reminds me of a recent novel I finished that entertained this idea. Have you read The Circle by Dave Eggers (https://www.amazon.com/The-Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/0345807294)? You may find it an interesting (yet satirical) commentary on many of the issues you touch on in your blog.
Looking back at my own online practice the past 10 years, I’m amazed at how much my habits have shifted. Now I barely think twice about entering my full name for online shopping or commercial platforms, whereas before we used to create aliases for everything. When I’m trialling the free versions of platforms, more often than not they allow me to use an existing Twitter, Facebook or Google account to quickly register. In return, they expect (and gain) access to aspects of these profiles. While platforms demand more private information from us, we also put more trust that they are reliable and ‘safe’. I’m not sure we can keep on top of every aspect of private life, like we used to. I think staying educated and current with changing User Agreements will help us to be informed but doesn’t necessarily protect us from the direction online privacy (or lack of) will take us in the future.
Hi Jocelyn,
Thanks for the link to the 9P’s by Vicki Davis- a very useful explanation of digital citizenship concerns. I agree with you that schools need to be educating students about their digital footprint. Awareness is key as technology is constantly evolving. Thanks also for the book recommendation- I’ve added it to my wishlist!
I think that we’re very fortunate in the COETAIL community that we are able to have an open dialogue about the best way to incorporate digital citizenship and online privacy in our classrooms. It is a very effective way to learn through other educators.
Thanks for the comments!