Digital footprint and privacy – app permissions, cookies and privacy settings
Computer ScienceDigital Safety & EthicsAges 14–15
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Sign in to playTry Zibbo, a fictional photo-sharing app: grant location, contacts, camera and microphone permissions, accept or reject each type of cookie, post with different audiences and change the privacy settings. A town map shows the location points the app records, an inferred profile shows how home, school, daily routine and interests are guessed with confidence that grows day by day, and a Who sees what table separates public from private data. The Later tab shows what happens when an employer searches your name, when targeted ads arrive and when data reaches a data broker, and lets you try the rights of access, withdrawing consent and erasure.
Lesson: Digital footprint: data that apps collect and infer, app permissions, tracking cookies, privacy settings, public and private information, rights over personal data
What it shows
Every app you use leaves a digital footprint: data you post on purpose plus data collected automatically, such as location history, contacts, device identifiers and the websites tracking cookies follow you to. From that raw data, systems infer things you never said, such as where you live, your school, your routine, your interests and even health worries. Privacy settings decide who sees your posts, but friends' tags and copies can escape them. Data-protection laws such as the GDPR give rights to see your data, withdraw consent and ask for erasure, though shared copies may remain.
How to use
Choose Start with, then drag Days using Zibbo or press Play to watch the map and inferred profile grow. Change the permissions, accept or reject cookie types, set each post's Audience and Add location, and adjust Account, search engines and tag review. In Later, pick a Scenario to see what others can learn, then press Request my data, Withdraw consent or Delete account and data.
Parameters you can change
- Starting tab Permissions, Cookies, Posts, Privacy, Later
- Start with Agree to everything, Careful choices, Just installed, default settings
- Days using the app 1–90 days
- Later scenario An employer searches your name, The ads you see, Your data reaches a data broker, A stranger views your profile
Questions to explore
- Why is turning off location not enough when a public birthday-party photo has its location added?
- With a private account, how can an employer still find a photo of you?
- After you withdraw consent, where does the data already sent to partners remain?
