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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lab, you will be able to:

Lab Instructions

Privacy Policy Analysis

You are tasked with analyzing the privacy policies of a popular social media platform. Pick one of the following options:

The links above go to each platform's home page, not its policies. Finding the privacy policy and Terms of Service is part of this lab. They are usually linked at the bottom of the page or in the account settings. Many platforms have more than one policy, such as a cookie policy or a separate policy for the EU. Use any of them that help you answer the questions.

Read the policies carefully and answer the following questions.

Answer in your own words. Do not copy and paste from the policies. Instead, back up your answers with screenshots.

Screenshots: every answer that comes from the privacy policy or Terms of Service (questions 3 to 14) must include a screenshot of the section(s) that back up what you are saying.

Each screenshot should have your name, term, and year. One of the easiest ways to do that is make a text document with your name and term/year on your computer and save it to use all term. Any screenshots that don't include this information won't be counted.

Example screenshot showing a text document with the student's name and term/year next to the content being captured
This is an image of what each of your screenshots should look like

Questions

  1. Which social media platform did you pick, and why?
  2. Finding the policies
    1. What is the link to the platform's privacy policy? If there is more than one, include all links.
    2. What is the link to the platform's Terms of Service?
    3. Did you use any other policies, such as a cookie policy or an EU policy? If yes, include their links.
  3. What types of data are collected from users? Make a list.
  4. How is the collected data used by the platform? Make a list or table.
  5. Third parties
    1. Is user data shared with third parties?
    2. If so, for what purposes?
  6. What rights do users have regarding their personal data?
  7. Legal options. These are often in the Terms of Service rather than the privacy policy.
    1. If there is an issue, what are the options for litigation?
    2. What steps are detailed in the policies that cover legal recourse for bad practices?
  8. Legal options in other countries. Look for a section or separate policy for the EU, the EEA, or GDPR.
    1. Would the options for litigation change if you were an EU citizen?
    2. What about a citizen of another country outside the USA or EU?
  9. Children
    1. What age does the platform consider a child?
    2. Does that change how their data is handled?
  10. What measures does the platform take to ensure the security of user data?
  11. What are the options for users to control their privacy settings?
  12. Cookies and tracking
    1. Does the platform use cookies or tracking technologies?
    2. If yes, what kinds, and can users opt out?
  13. What are the data retention policies of the platform?
  14. How does the platform handle user consent and opt-in/opt-out mechanisms?

Deliverables

One document, clearly labelled, that includes:

  1. Your answers to all 14 questions, in your own words, labelled with their question numbers
  2. Screenshots backing up your answers to questions 3 to 14, each with your name, term, and year

Resources

References, a video, a PowerPoint and some notes are available at my website Link: https://www.aholdengouveia.name/IntroData/datalawsandregs.html