Unpack and discuss issues surrounding privacy online through discussion, reflection, and exploration of various examples
About This Module
This curriculum module is based on takeaways from series five of NYC Digital Safety training videos. You may use this module by:
- Including it in your pre-existing public workshops
- Combining it with other NYC Digital Safety modules to make a longer data-privacy focused workshop
- Sharing the handout with library users at various service points
Downloadable presentation slides, a facilitation guide, and two handouts can be found below.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
- Define privacy, particularly in an online context
- Describe issues and challenges surrounding privacy in online and digital environments
- Identify ways to continue learning about online privacy
Lesson Plan
This lesson plan is also included in the downloadable facilitation guide below. You are welcome to use any and all of this, or adapt it as you see fit.
This module will take approximately 70 minutes to complete. The content in this module can be delivered in different ways, whether via a discussion-based workshop session or as a component in another, more hands-on, skill-building module.
Introduction and welcome
Greet learners and share the plan for this module.
Discussion: Defining privacy
Begin by asking your learners to define privacy. See what comes to mind, what they think, and how they conceive of the issue of privacy
Define privacy
Follow up the opening discussion by defining privacy with a standard definition and note that you’ll be considering privacy in online environments more specifically for the remainder of the workshop
Privacy and the internet
Share information about privacy issues, trends, and complications in the Internet age
Privacy vs. security debate
Introduce the long running debate of privacy versus security and pose questions to help learners start considering these questions in the context of the Internet
Activity: Online privacy issues
Break your learners into small groups and have them discuss and share what issues they see with online privacy.
This is a deliberately broad question so feel free to see how the conversation develops and feel free to interject with follow-up questions
Privacy issues
Share some current research and how Americans feel pessimistic about privacy issues. Share research on current major issues being discussed and considered around online privacy, including new technological developments that might pose risks to privacy. Note if any of these came up during the previous activity and highlight ones that weren’t mentioned
Activity: Protecting online privacy
Break your learners into small groups. Have them brainstorm ways that individuals can protect their online privacy.
Have them also consider ways organizations, groups, regulators, etc. can help improve and uphold online privacy rights. At the end of this section, share that two big concepts (among many) in online privacy are 1.) keeping devices updated and working well and 2.) reading privacy policies. Feel free to look to other modules in NYC Digital Safety for relevant handouts
Wrap up, final tips, and final questions
Review the closing thoughts and share the suggested resources. See if anyone has any final questions
Next Steps
Download the materials below for use in your workshop or at service points throughout your library.
If you plan to create a longer privacy-focused workshop using these materials, here is a link to Google slides. Feel free to make a copy if you’d like to add these slides to any other deck.
And please let us know how it went! Use this form to share your feedback on this module. We’d love to hear from you.