Instruction
Duration: 45 minutes
Target group: Upper secondary school students
Keywords: privacy, personal data, GDPR, online safety, cyberdata, online responsibility
Objectives
- The student understands what the right to privacy is and its significance in everyday life.
- The student knows what personal data are and the principles of their protection (GDPR).
- The student can identify risks associated with improper sharing of data online.
- The student develops the ability to manage their privacy responsibly online.
- The student knows how to respond to privacy violations and whom to contact for help.
WARM-UP
Activity:
- Opening question: “What information about yourself do you leave online every day?” (e.g., photos, likes, location, hashtags). Write students’ examples on the board.
- Short video / excerpt from a social campaign on online privacy.
- Explain:
- Privacy is the right to decide which information about us can be shared with others.
- Personal data include, for example, name, surname, national ID number (PESEL), address, but also photos, e-mail, or phone number.
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) protects EU citizens from misuse of their personal data.
Analogy:
Imagine that your data are like keys to your house. If you give them to anyone who asks, someone could enter and cause damage. It’s the same with data online.
Questions for students:
- Do you share your data in exchange for “free” apps or games?
- Is privacy only the absence of cameras and eavesdropping, or does it also mean having control over what companies know about us?
- Can we talk about freedom if we do not have privacy?
EXERCISE
Decision-making game: “Guardians of Privacy”
Students take on the role of social media app moderators.
They receive cards/slides with different situations involving personal data. Their task is to decide whether the situation is safe / lawful, or whether it violates privacy or GDPR regulations.
Example situations:
- A company sends you advertisements because you subscribed to a newsletter.
- A fitness app requests access to your microphone and contact list.
- A friend posts your photo on Instagram without asking for your consent.
- Someone calls and asks for your national ID number (PESEL) to “verify your bank account.”
- A teacher shares the full grade list with names on a public board.
After each situation — a short discussion and joint explanation: which right was violated, what the potential consequences are, and how to respond.
INSPIRATION
Examples from real life and pop culture:
- Cambridge Analytica scandal
- Targeted advertisements based on our online activity
- Social campaigns on online safety (e.g., “Don’t Get Hooked!” <Nie daj się złowić!>: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjFX5SHz85I)
REFLECTIONS AND SUMMARY
Questions for the class:
- Is online privacy a luxury or a right?
- Which data are particularly sensitive and must not be shared?
- How should you respond if someone violates your privacy online?
- Why do companies want our data — how do they profit from it?
- What can be the consequences of being careless when sharing information online?
Final task:
In pairs, create an “Online Privacy Code” — 5 rules on how to wisely protect your data online.
Guiding questions:
- What information about ourselves do we most often share online?
(e.g., name, surname, address, photos, location — which of these are really necessary, and which are better kept private?) - What could happen if unauthorized people obtain our data?
(e.g., account theft, impersonation, spam, fraud) - How can we check whether a website where we leave our data is safe?
(e.g., https, reviews, is it an official website) - Which social media settings help protect our privacy?
(e.g., who can see our posts, who can send messages, blocking strangers) - What can we do if we feel our privacy has been violated online?
(e.g., report it, change your password, tell an adult, notify the administrator or the police)