Explaining Privacy to my Niece

Data Minimisation

You have a magical bag, this bag can hold your most important things. These things are like the information you want to keep safe, just like when you have a special secret to share.

Now, the magic of this bag is that it only lets you keep the most important things inside, you carefully choose what goes into the bag because there's not enough space. You wouldn't want to fill it with silly stuff because that would make it hard to keep your most special things.

When we talk about data minimisation, it's a bit like having this magical bag. When websites or apps collect information from you, they should only take what's truly needed, just like you only put your most important things into your magical bag. It's about being smart, not collecting more than necessary, and making sure that what is collected is really needed. This way, just like with your bag of important things, we keep things simple, organised, and safe.

Here's some information about data minimisation for grownups.

Transparent Policies

Imagine you have a see-through bubble around you, this bubble is like a forcefield that lets everyone see what's inside. Inside your bubble are your rules, your favourite games, and the way you like to play, everything is clear, and your friends can easily understand what you enjoy.

Now, think of websites and apps as having their own bubbles, but inside these bubbles it's all about their rules. When you visit a website or use an app, it's like entering their bubble, the best websites and apps make their bubbles see-through, just like yours.

A see-through bubble means that they show you all the rules and how they use your information. This way, when you play games or explore websites, you know exactly what to expect, and it feels like a friendly and open place.

So, having transparent policies is like having see-through bubbles, they let everyone know the rules and ensures everyone feels comfortable and understands the bubble they're stepping into.

Here's some information about transparent policies for grownups.

Security Measures

Your diary is a place where you write down all your favourite things and special moments, this diary is like a treasure chest that holds important information about you. To keep this treasure safe, you have a special lock on the diary.

This lock can only be opened with a secret code that only you know, and it keeps your diary closed and protected. Just like you wouldn't want anyone to open your diary without your permission, when we use the internet or play games online, we have our own special information that we want to keep safe.

So, when we create accounts or play games, it's like having our own diary in the digital world. We use passwords as our special codes to lock and protect our online diaries. This way, only we can access and enjoy the games or websites, and our digital treasures remain safe from anyone who might want to peek without asking. Just like we guard our physical diaries, it's important to use strong and secret codes to protect our digital diaries too.

Here's some information about security measures for grownups.

User Empowerment

Imagine you are a gardener, and in your garden, you have different flowers, each flower represents something special, like playing a game or sharing a story and you get to decide which flowers can bloom.

When you visit a new website or play a new game, it's like entering someone else's garden, they might ask for your permission to let certain flowers bloom, like accessing your location (it took a while to explain what locations are, but we got there in the end) or sending you notifications. Your power is that you can say yes, or no, to each flower.

Giving permission, is like being the gardener of your own experience, you get to decide which flowers you want to allow to bloom in your garden. It's all about having control and feeling confident that the flowers in your garden are the ones you want to see and enjoy. Just like a gardener tends to their plants, you tend to your digital garden, choosing what grows and what doesn't.

Here's some information about user empowerment for grownups.

Compliance with Regulations

Let's talk about your group of friends, you all love playing games together. Now imagine that each friend has their own set of rules for their part of the game, and everyone wants to make sure the game is fun and fair for everyone.

Playing by the rules is like being a good friend in this group, each friend has their own rule book, and they follow it to ensure that everyone has a good time. If there are ever any new rules to add, you all discuss them together and agree on what's best for everyone.

In the digital world, compliance with regulations is a bit like being a good friend in your group, websites, apps, and companies have their own set of rules, kind of like a rule book, that they have to follow, and it's important for them to be good friends to their users by sticking to these rules.

So, just like your friends agree on rules to make the game enjoyable for everyone, companies follow regulations to be good friends to their users, it ensures that the digital world is fair, safe, and fun for everyone involved.

Here's some information about compliance with regulations for grownups.

Conclusion

Educators should properly teach the younger generation about privacy, and this is what I wanted to touch on in this article. It isn't just about teaching my niece about privacy, it's about explaining a complicated landscape to a child. The thing is, it actually isn't complicated at all, it just needs to be taught well, preferably in more than one lecture a year! The younger generation are amongst the most vulnerable, because they are not yet mature enough to understand what privacy means. By educating them, we have a better chance of raising awareness, which could lead to a positive force for change in the future.

There are many shortcomings when it comes to privacy practices. Having a never ending, unclear, cookie or privacy policy. Collecting "necessary data" from over fifty trackers on one website, that you have to switch off manually one by one. Not considering children's privacy at all. These issues are just scratching the surface, and as an industry we simply are not doing enough to fix the problem. This madness simply needs to stop.

Privacy is a human right, yet companies rarely give it the importance that it deserves, it is time that this mentality changes. Privacy should be properly considered at every stage of the Software Development Life Cycle, and awareness on privacy should be instilled within every team member. Companies should dedicate time to improve and innovate on privacy practices and treat them like important product features, rather than treating them like an afterthought. If a company has time to implement features that nobody will ever use, then it has time to think about privacy. Be different, be better, and lead by example!