DATAPROTECTIONDAY

“Privacy is a human right – treat it with care””

Privacy is a fundamental human right. It underpins human dignity and other values such freedom of speech. It has become one of the most important human rights of the modern age.

How do children and young people define privacy?

“When you are on your own in cyberspace, privacy is being able to do what you want without people butting in.” (Nicholas – 13)

“It’s being able to do things online without anyone seeing or knowing what you’re doing.” Rachel 11

Privacy has many facets

At the most fundamental level, privacy means the right to be left alone – to be free from intrusion. Privacy may involve secrecy, anonymity and also solitude. Informational privacy is about the collection and handling of personal data such as your age and gender or your medical information. These rules require, for example, that your data is fairly handled and secured and that you can correct and access your data. Privacy also refers to the freedom from being ‘watched’.

Privacy can be lost, whether through your own choice or through the action of another person.

In the online world for example, communications often relies on an exchange of personal information. When you use free web content and services, e-mail, instant messaging and social networking sites, you may give information about yourself to your friends and make it visible for a more general public. And eventually, you also give it to a commercial company that collects data for advertising purposes.

You need to choose how much information you want to disclose about yourself when you communicate with others. It is also important that you understand how your information will be used and what you have consented to when you agree to the terms and conditions.

You need to have more control over your personal information.

As young people, you are best placed to be able to deliver some of these messages to younger people, friends of your own age and family. You have a good understanding of how technologies are used and of the types of materials that are often posted on social networking sites and other collaborative areas of the internet. What are the key areas that you need to make others aware of? What are the simple but effective ways that they can keep themselves and their identities safe?

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

Article 13 of the UNCRC says that: “children have the right to get and share information as long as the information is not damaging to them or to others.”

Article 16 of the UNCRC says that: “children have a right to privacy. The law should protect them from attacks against their way of life, their good name....”

Council of Europe

The following link will take you to the fact sheet on privacy that is part of the internet literacy handbook published by the Council of Europe. It contains some useful suggestions on best practice for keeping your personal information private.

http://www.coe.int/t/e/integrated_projects/democracy/02_activities/03_internet_literacy/internet_literacy_handbook/16_privacy.asp

What can you do to protect yourself?

• You can easily protect your privacy by never publishing online personal data such as your real name, address, telephone number, name of your school or information concerning friends and family. Your mobile phone number especially should be kept private. Did you know that, unless you have switched off the GPS option on your mobile phone, anyone can track your whereabouts?
• When chatting, use a nickname and avoid getting personal if you don’t actually know (that is, in the offline world) the person(s) you are chatting with. Also ensure that you don’t accidentally give away any information that could help someone with bad intentions locate or identify you e.g. through your hobbies, where you like to hang out etc.
• When entering websites where personal information is asked for, be sure that those sites are trustworthy, and before sending your information ask why it is needed. In all cases, consult the ‘Terms and Conditions’ and/or the “Privacy Statement” of the company operating that website.
• Be aware that you only need to complete the fields with an asterisk* when filling in an online form. Don’t voluntarily give more information than you need to.
• Watch out for cookies and set your browser to avoid them.
• Install and use anti-spam, firewall, anti-virus and other privacy and security enhancing software, and keep it up to date.
• As a basic rule, if something isn’t acceptable in the real world, then it isn’t acceptable online either.
• Webcams can present particular difficulties. They are now a common feature of most mobile devices and laptops, meaning that more and more people can communicate with others using video as well as voice. A webcam provides a window into what can be some of the most intimate places in the home. Although the vast majority of images and video are exchanged with friends and family, as with all types of online communication, it is impossible to control who your friends might show the images to. It is also possible that someone could hack into files and then circulate them. Unfortunately some teenagers have been blackmailed with photos or videos that they sent to someone that they trusted.
• A top tip is to make sure that you unplug your webcam or switch it off when it is not being used. This will help to prevent it being activated remotely and used to film you without your knowledge.
• Remember that the use of file-sharing software on your computer can give others access to video or image files on your machine.

Further information can be found at http://www.eff.org/wp/effs-top-12-ways-protect-your-online-privacy

FAQ:

When I publish information to the web, who does this information belong to?

It is important to read the terms and conditions of a website before posting any information there. The terms and conditions will make clear what happens to your data and who it then belongs to. In some cases, you still own the data but the company who is hosting it on the web has permission to copy, modify the file etc.

Who owns an image of me?

It is important to recognise who legally owns an image in the first instance. The person who actually takes a photo owns that image, regardless of what is in the image. If you post a picture that you did not take yourself, then you should have the permission of the person who took the image initially before you can post it.

What rights do I have over an image of me that has been placed online?

If an image of you has been taken in public by someone else, you have very little right to control what happens to it. The image legally belongs to the person who took it. This is based on the argument that you did something in public and, in theory, anyone could have seen you do this.

However, if an image or video of you is used to endorse a product or is used to advertise something, then you have rights to be able to stop this from happening.

If I post something anonymously on the internet is it really anonymous?

You are not invisible on the internet, even if it feels like it. All internet users leave a digital footprint. Every computer has an IP address and a network adapter or network interface card will have a MAC address and this is often the key to finding out who sent specific data.

How much information is there about me online?

Have you ever tried to google yourself? Put your name into a search engine and see what you find? Does it present an accurate picture of you? Have others posted things about you or tagged you in an image?

How can I delete information about me online?

· If you know who published the information then talk to them in the first instance and ask them to remove it

· If the information breaches the terms and conditions of a site (as the material may be inappropriate), then contact the service provider to have it taken down.

· If the information is illegal, then contact the police or your nearest hotline (at http://www.inhope.org)

Possible Scenarios

1. You and a group of friends go to a party, and pictures of the party are posted online in various places. Some of these show you in what could be described as embarrassing situations. You were only messing around, but taken out of context these pictures could cause you problems. You didn’t post any of these pictures but they have been tagged and are easily accessible. Although you know some of the people who were at the party, you don’t know them all and the images seem to be everywhere. What are the implications of this and what action could you take to prevent this from causing you problems? Although in the short term this might not cause too many difficulties, consider the potential impact this could have in the future.
2. A good friend has been barred from the school internet and asks if he/she can use your username and password to log in to do some research for a project. You give the information but later discover that your friend left the password on a piece of paper in the computer room and it has now disappeared. What could the consequences be? What should you do?
3. Whilst shopping on a Saturday, you are approached by someone claiming to be from a charity. They make it very clear that they do not want any money, but would like to generate support for a campaign that they are running in order to raise awareness of child poverty. As this seems like a good cause, you listen and acknowledge your interest. You are then asked to complete a form which asks for a range of personal information including your name and address. What could the consequences be? What could you do in order to protect your privacy?
4. You make a phone call to the local cinema in order to book tickets for a film that you and some mates have been keen to see. You are asked to give your name, address and credit card details in order to secure the booking. You are then asked to provide the security code from your credit card. You feel uneasy about this as you know that having this information means that anyone can use your credit card to purchase goods or services over the internet. You express your concern, but are told that the cinema requires this information to input to their system. You recognise that you are relying on the credibility and trustworthiness of the individual you are speaking to, someone you have never met. Is this is an invasion of your privacy? Is this something that you should be worried about?

Further examples that may help

There are some useful examples of other videos that have been created to educate about privacy issues at http://www.dubestemmer.no/english.php

http://www.eff.org/wp/effs-top-12-ways-protect-your-online-privacy

http://www.coe.int/t/e/integrated_projects/democracy/02_activities/03_internet_literacy/internet_literacy_handbook/16_privacy.asp

http://www.coe.int/t/e/integrated_projects/democracy/02_activities/03_internet_literacy/internet_literacy_handbook/17_security.asp

http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/safety_issues/faqs/privacy.htm