This week, we had the opportunity to learn about data safety from a few classmates that explored the topic for their tech inquiry.  We watched a trailer for “The Great Hack” (which I still have to go check out) that provided a bit of context for the issue.

I knew a little about the topic, but was still surprised by some of the things I learned through the presentation. In particular, the idea that we essentially pay for “free” apps and services by giving away our personal information and data was logical but had simply not occurred to me. This provided some context for why we might be resistant or unwilling to push back against data sharing. The idea of targeted ads was also familiar to me, especially ads for UVic’s teacher education program, which consistently pop up on various different social media platforms that I subscribe to.

Looking at the issue from the perspective of how it affects minors was also very relevant from the perspective of a future educator. I was shocked to hear that it’s legal and possible for hundreds of thousands of data points to be compiled about individuals before they are legally adults.

The idea that your physical location is essentially available to people at all times is also a little alarming, as is the idea that this data provides knowledge about who you’re in close proximity to, which can be used to further the ends of whatever party is accessing it.