Unit 1 Lab 4 Teacher Guide

In the first two pages of this lab, students consider the information that is available online about them, discuss why privacy is good to protect, and consider reasons for giving up privacy. The Blown to Bits reading is about innovations all around us that collect data about us.

Among the social implications of computing, privacy is a major issue. Students should learn how they can best protect their online privacy, but must also learn that threats to privacy are a social construct, not a law of nature, and that they shouldn't have to worry so much about privacy. (This is a general point about teaching social implications: Don't make it a "computer ethics" course in which grownups tell kids what to do. Instead, it's more about how technology should be regulated in the interest of users.)

When we first wrote this lab in 2010, privacy concerns were not widespread, and those who were concerned worried about government rather than about tech companies. This topic was a hard sell. But in 2019, with Facebook officers testifying to Congress all the time, many more people see the need to protect privacy.

Students begin to see that computing has social implications. The reading in Blown to Bits highlights ways the world has been changed by computing and identifies examples that might not look at first like a "bits story" but are. In this lab, students get a range of experiences: reading the book, beginning a list of computing innovations, and finding evidence for ways that technology can be both good and bad.

General Points about Teaching Social Implications

Good discussions require trust. Students won't start out trusting each other or you (but mainly each other). It's vital that you catch any ad hominem argument or verbal bullying, make everyone stop talking, and quietly but clearly make it clear that personal attacks aren't acceptable behavior or valid arguments.
Don't start with your own opinion, but if everyone in the class seems to take the opposite position, it can be beneficial for you to weigh in. Teachers should not use their position of authority to imply that their opinion is the "right" one, but your opinions can be valuable as long as you hold yourself to the same standard of evidence you expect from students and as long as you convince them that their grade doesn't depend on agreeing with you. (Present your grading policy clearly and early to help build that trust.)
Most issues at first appear to have two opposing answers. Look for third positions—not a "compromise" but a genuinely different way of thinking.

As one example of the power of a third position, the issue of copyright initially presents itself as "information wants to be free" versus "copying is theft," but any useful resolution has to start by noting that the interests of publishing companies (record labels, movie studios, etc.) are very different from the interests of creators (musicians, etc.). Maybe we need a solution that protects musicians, but we don't need a solution that protects record labels. Also, the badly-named "copyright" is not a right the way freedom of speech is a right. It is a limited-time legal monopoly, given to creators (and transferable to others) as part of a bargain through which their creations eventually enter the public domain. Does all that make illegal downloading okay? That's a hard question, not an obvious one.

Everyone has the right to their opinion, but not all opinions are equally worthy. Nobody should be punished for their opinions (in this class or in the world), but the persuasive perspectives are backed up with research and evidence.
Start with Computing in the News as often as possible. Always bring in two stories, one about a wonderful advance in technology, and one about a social problem related to technology. If possible, after the first few examples, make students responsible for bringing in the two stories. Rotate through all the students if possible. Generally the stories will be presented quickly and not discussed; the opener generally shouldn't take over the class period, but if a particular story resonates with the students, you might allow a longer discussion.

Pacing

Prepare

Think about how you want students to interact with computers and each other this week. Students will need to be on the computer at times to do some online research. You may choose to print out the lab so that students can annotate as they read. Students will also engage in discussion with each other, so think of a way to arrange your space so students can have eye contact with each other.
Use Computing in the News as an opener at least once this week.
Review all lab activities, especially the instructions for the Four Corners activity in Communication and Community.
Review Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of Blown to Bits. Students are not asked to read the whole chapters.

Lab Pages

Page 1: Your Image in the Cloud.
- Learning Goals:
  - Discuss why privacy on the Internet is good, what threatens our privacy, and reasons why we might choose to give up privacy..
  - Examine personal online data sharing habits.
- Tip: It's not recommended students spend class time trying to acquire data about themselves.
Page 2: Examining Privacy.
- Learning Goal: Identify primary threats to personal privacy.
- There are three For You To Do problems. It probably works best to use these problems in a whole-class discussion. You may choose to assign problem 3 as an individual writing assignment, after which students share their responses.
Page 3: Tanya Rider's Story.
- Learning Goals:
  - Understand that all digital information is represented with bits.
  - Appreciate the complex nature of privacy questions surrounding digital data.
- As a Class: After students read the selection, discuss briefly. Much of Blown to Bits has to do with the balance between the abundance of digital information and our attempts for retaining privacy and ownership of our own information. Students may also be interested in looking up news stories or videos about Tanya Rider.
- Tip: Don't let the discussion be entirely about the details of her escape. The reason the authors of Blown to Bits chose this story to start the book is that it makes us think twice about the goal of privacy that otherwise pervades the book and most discussions of social implications. It was the protection of Ms. Rider's privacy that almost cost her life. The If There Is Time activity on this page tries to push students toward a nuanced, dialectical understanding of the privacy issue: neither a simplistic embracing of personal privacy nor a complete rejection of privacy as a goal will do.
Page 4: Innovations and Privacy.
- Learning Goals:
  - Appreciate how privacy is affected by computers.
  - Read about and teach each other about some innovations we might not have realized were collecting data about us.
  - Understand what a cookie is and how web sites use them.
- As a Class: The Blown to Bits reading should be done as a "jigsaw." Each student should read their two sections carefully and then each should share the key points from their sections, teaching the other students in their group.
- Tips:
  - Be aware that "Connecting the Dots" is the longest section to read, and in some ways, the hardest because it's not about a specific innovation but also about the idea that "de-identified" (anonymous) data might not be as secure as one might think.
  - Students read about "How Sites Know Who You Are." They will learn more about how the Internet works in a future unit. Students are not expected to master the idea of IP addresses now, but are being exposed to the terms.

Solutions

Correlation with 2020 AP CS Principles Framework

Computational Thinking Practices: Skills

5.D: Describe the impact of gathering data.
5.E: Evaluate the use of computing based on legal and ethical factors.

Learning Objectives:

IOC-1.F: Explain how the use of computing can raise legal and ethical concerns. (5.E)
IOC-2.A: Describe the risks to privacy from collecting and storing personal data on a computer system. (5.D)

Essential Knowledge:

IOC-1.A.4: A single effect can be viewed as both beneficial and harmful by different people, or even by the same person.
IOC-1.F.11: Computing innovations can raise legal and ethical concerns. Some examples of these include:
- the existence of computing devices that collect and analyze data by continuously monitoring activities
IOC-2.A.1: Personally identifiable information (PII) is information about an individual that identifies, links, relates, or describes them. Examples of PII include:
- social security number
- age
- race
- phone number(s)
- medical information
- financial information
- biometric data
IOC-2.A.2: Search engines can record and maintain a history of searches made by users.
IOC-2.A.3: Websites can record and maintain a history of individuals who have viewed their pages.
IOC-2.A.4: Devices, websites, and networks can collect information about a user’s location.
IOC-2.A.5: Technology enables the collection, use, and exploitation of information about, by, and for individuals, groups, and institutions.
IOC-2.A.6: Search engines can use search history to suggest websites or for targeted marketing.
IOC-2.A.7: Disparate personal data, such as geolocation, cookies, and browsing history, can be aggregated to create knowledge about an individual.
IOC-2.A.8: PII and other information placed online can be used to enhance a user’s online experiences.
IOC-2.A.9: PII stored online can be used to simplify making online purchases.
IOC-2.A.10: Commercial and governmental curation of information may be exploited if privacy and other protections are ignored.
IOC-2.A.11: Information placed online can be used in ways that were not intended and that may have a harmful impact. For example, an email message may be forwarded, tweets can be retweeted, and social media posts can be viewed by potential employers.
IOC-2.A.12: PII can be used to stalk or steal the identity of a person or to aid in the planning of other criminal acts.
IOC-2.A.13: Once information is placed online, it is difficult to delete.
IOC-2.A.14: Programs can collect your location and record where you have been, how you got there, and how long you were at a given location.
IOC-2.A.15: Information posted to social media services can be used by others. Combining information posted on social media and other sources can be used to deduce private information about you.

Lab 4: Protecting Your Privacy