The Key to Privacy: Learning Not To Share
by Chris Gustafson
The Nerf basketball, space in the wading pool, even the last cookie on the plate—since they were toddlers we've been teaching our kids to share. But when it comes to sharing private information online, educators must strongly communicate the opposite message.
It's a hard sell for students who willingly give out their locker combinations, let others check out material from the library on their school ID cards, and are touchingly trusting in their friendships. So how do we teach our students to guard the information that can identify them personally online?
Know What Can Hurt You
Brainstorm a list of personally identifiable information with your students. Make sure the list includes telephone, school ID, Social Security and debit card numbers as well as street and e-mail addresses. Encourage your students to think beyond the obvious. Even information on a social networking page, such as a team photo or a list of school club memberships, could compromise their privacy.
Know How to Protect Your Password
Students can be too generous with their passwords. Educate them about the importance of keeping their password private from the very first time they receive an individual student account, often in late elementary school. Emphasize the anatomy of a secure password, which should contain letters, symbols and numbers. Suggest a password made up of the first letter of each word in the first line of a favorite song plus numbers and symbols, creating a combination that is easy to remember but hard to guess. Personally identifiable information such as place of birth, names of pets, birthdate, schools attended, and mother's maiden name should be kept private as well, as these are often answers to questions that may allow an identity thief to change a password after accessing an account.
Know When to be Wary
Make sure your students can recognize phishing scams, and know how to avoid online offers of something free in exchange for personal information. Explain the difference between a secure and a non-secure site and the concept of encryption. Cover the basics of completely logging off Web sites or e-mail accounts after every use.
Know the Negative Consequences
The ideas and experiences of their peers are likely to be much more persuasive than a list of do's and don'ts provided by a teacher. Divide your class into groups and assign each group one category of personally identifiable information. Ask each group to create lists of injurious ways that pieces of information could be used. Post the lists in your classroom where others can add to them. Encourage students to share personal experiences—when did sharing private information online cause trouble in the wrong hands?
Keep Parents in the Know
Parents may not know how to teach their children to recognize requests for personally identifiable information and to understand the danger of sharing such information online. Offer to write an article for the school newsletter about the importance of keeping personal information private. Provide a brief talk at a PTSA meeting to present tips on Internet privacy. Visit this link for resources:
www.microsoft.com/protect/educators_us.mspx
The best-designed security software programs are no match for a student who responds to peer pressure, can't resist an online offer, or seeks acceptance by giving away personally identifiable information online. Take the time to teach your students not to share.
