Who Knows What About You? Data, Privacy, and Your Digital Footprint
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ICT · My World Quest — full scheme of work · pioneer
Who Knows What About You? Data, Privacy, and Your Digital Footprint
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For grown-ups
Companion summary
Have you ever wondered who actually sees your information when you sign up for a new app or game? Every time you create an account, companies collect details about you — your habits, location, and preferences. In 2018, a major law called GDPR gave people in Europe the right to ask companies to delete their data entirely. When you finish, try checking the privacy settings on one app you use and see what data it is collecting about you.
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Have You Ever Felt Watched?
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Have You Ever Felt Watched?
Here is something worth thinking about. You search for a new pair of trainers once. The next day, adverts for trainers seem to follow you across every website and app you open. How did that happen? Did someone read your mind — or read your data? Before we dive in, think about this: every time you use a device connected to the internet, you leave traces behind. Those traces are worth a lot of money to some companies. Today you will find out exactly what those traces are, who collects them, and what you can do about it.
💭 Think about this
Think of two pieces of information about yourself that you have typed into a website or app in the last week. Would you be comfortable with a stranger knowing those details? Why or why not?
✨
Have You Ever Felt Watched?
🔢➕✖️🧮
Have You Ever Felt Watched?
Here is something worth thinking about. You search for a new pair of trainers once. The next day, adverts for trainers seem to follow you across every website and app you open. How did that happen? Did someone read your mind — or read your data? Before we dive in, think about this: every time you use a device connected to the internet, you leave traces behind. Those traces are worth a lot of money to some companies. Today you will find out exactly what those traces are, who collects them, and what you can do about it.
💭 Think about this
Think of two pieces of information about yourself that you have typed into a website or app in the last week. Would you be comfortable with a stranger knowing those details? Why or why not?
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Data, Collection, and Why Privacy Matters
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**What is ?**
Personal data is any information that can identify you as an individual. Your full name, home address, date of birth, email address, phone number, and photos of your face are all obvious examples. Less obvious examples include your IP address (a unique number your device gets when it connects to the internet), your location history, which videos you watch, how long you spend on each page of a website, and even the rhythm of how you type.
**How is personal data collected?**
Organisations collect data in several ways:
1. **Accounts and forms.** When you sign up for a service, you hand over data directly — your name, age, and email, for example.
2. **s.** A cookie is a tiny file a website stores on your device. It can remember your preferences, keep you logged in, and track which other sites you visit. Third-party cookies are placed by companies other than the website you are on, allowing advertisers to follow you across the internet.
3. **s.** These are invisible images embedded in emails or web pages. When your device loads them, the sender knows you opened the email and can log your .
4. **Device sensors.** Apps on your phone can request access to your microphone, camera, GPS location, and contacts. If you grant permission without reading carefully, that data can be shared.
**How is personal data used?**
Data is used in three main ways. First, to personalise services — recommending content you are likely to enjoy. Second, for targeted advertising — showing you adverts chosen because of your profile. Third, some organisations sell anonymised data (data with names removed) to other companies, though re-identification is sometimes possible.
**Why does privacy matter?**
Privacy is about control. When you control your data, you control your digital identity. Risks from poor privacy include (someone pretending to be you to steal money), attacks (fake messages designed to trick you into revealing passwords), and profiling (companies or governments building detailed pictures of your habits, opinions, and movements without your knowledge).
**How can you protect your privacy?**
Four practical strategies stand out:
- **Read permissions carefully** before installing apps. Only grant access to features the app genuinely needs.
- **Use strong, unique passwords and a password manager** so a breach on one site does not expose all your accounts.
- **Adjust privacy settings** on social media and devices. Limit who can see your posts and turn off location sharing when not needed.
- **Understand your rights.** In many countries, laws such as the UK's give you the right to ask organisations what data they hold about you and to request its deletion.
**Worked Example:**
Suppose you download a free torch app. During installation it requests access to your contacts, microphone, and location. Ask yourself: does a torch need any of those? The answer is no — a torch only needs the camera flash. Granting those permissions would give the app's developers personal data they have no legitimate reason to hold. The privacy-smart choice is to deny those permissions or find a different app.
Worked example
A free torch app requests access to contacts, microphone, and location during installation. Since a torch only needs the camera flash, those extra permissions are unnecessary. Granting them would hand the developer personal data without a legitimate reason. The correct privacy decision is to deny those permissions or choose a different app that requests only what it genuinely needs.
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Check What You Know
Try it yourself
Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. For question 5, think through your reasoning before selecting.
1. Which of the following is an example of personal data?
2. What is the main purpose of a third-party cookie?
3. A new social media app asks for permission to access your microphone and contacts. You only want to post photos. What is the most privacy-conscious action?
4. What right does UK GDPR give individuals regarding their personal data held by a company?
5. A friend argues: 'I have nothing to hide, so I don't care about privacy.' Which response best explains why privacy still matters, even if you have done nothing wrong?
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Bringing It Together
Personal data is any information that can identify you — including less obvious data like your IP address, location history, and browsing habits.
Organisations collect your data through accounts, cookies, tracking pixels, and app permissions — often without you actively noticing.
You can protect your privacy by reading permissions carefully, using strong passwords, adjusting privacy settings, and knowing your legal rights over your data.
1. A website sets a cookie that records every other website you visit for the next month and sells that information to advertisers. Which term best describes this type of cookie?
🌱 Reflect
Think about one digital service you use every day. What personal data does it likely collect about you, and what is one step you could take to reduce that data collection?
