Privacy Audit

Have students access the student chapter Terms of Service and Privacy Policies and go through the Information Wall with the class.

Next, have students access the student chapter Privacy Audit.

If possible, use a data projector or digital whiteboard to show students the Terms of Service, Didn’t Read website (tosdr.org) and search for Google. (If not, have students navigate to it on their own.) Go to the Google listing and show students the terms marked in red, yellow, green and grey.

Go through the Privacy Audit interactive activity and then divide the class into pairs or small groups. Have them access the Terms of Service, Didn’t Read website and use it to complete the Privacy Audit activity.

When students have finished, have them share their findings with the rest of the class:

• What rating did their app get?
• Were they surprised? Why or why not?
• Do they think the rating was fair? Why or why not?
• If more than one group audited the same app:
  • Did they identify the same red and yellow terms as being most concerning?
  • Did they identify the same green terms as being most reassuring?
• If there were differences between teams’ ratings, ask the teams to explain their thinking.
• Does knowing the rating make them more or less likely to use the app? Why or why not?

If none of the students raise this point during the last discussion, ask them:

• Do you sometimes feel like you have to use an app or service, even if you’re uncomfortable with its effect on your privacy, because your friends are using it?
  • Because your parents use it to contact you?
• Are you sometimes required to use one of these services to participate in school or an activity?