A free flashlight app requests permission to access your contacts, location, and microphone. What does this most likely indicate?
AThe app needs these permissions to function correctly as a flashlight
BThe app is collecting data beyond its functional needs, likely to build user profiles for advertising revenue
CThis is standard practice — all apps require the same permissions
DThe permissions were added by mistake and can be safely ignored
A flashlight app has no functional need for contacts, location, or a microphone. When apps request disproportionate permissions, it strongly signals they are collecting data for advertising or third-party sale. This is the core business model: the app is 'free' because your data, not your payment, generates revenue. Granting unnecessary permissions hands over personal information with no corresponding benefit.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
Researchers found that knowing a person's zip code, birthdate, and sex is sufficient to uniquely identify most Americans. Why does this matter for thinking about privacy?
AIndividually non-sensitive data points can combine to identify specific individuals, making seemingly harmless data a privacy risk
BIt shows that government databases are too accessible to outside researchers
CIt proves that zip codes should be treated as secret information like passwords
DThis only applies in rare cases where the person's name is already known
The combination problem is central to modern data privacy: no single piece of data needs to be sensitive for the combination to be identifying. Zip code, birthdate, and sex each seem innocuous, but together they narrow the population to a single individual in most cases. This is why privacy protection must extend beyond obvious data (SSN, passwords) to include behavioral data, location patterns, and other seemingly minor details.
Question 3 True / False
If your personal data contains very little illegal or embarrassing, you have no meaningful reason to protect your digital privacy.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Privacy is about control over your personal information, not about concealing wrongdoing. Even entirely innocent data can be used to manipulate purchasing decisions, enable price discrimination, expose you to targeted scams, or be exposed in a breach. The 'nothing to hide' framing conflates privacy with secrecy rather than recognizing it as a form of autonomy — the ability to control your own information regardless of its content.
Question 4 True / False
When a digital service is offered for free, the company typically earns revenue by collecting user data and using it to enable targeted advertising.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
The dominant business model for free digital services is data monetization. Platforms collect detailed behavioral data (searches, clicks, viewing history, purchases) to build user profiles, then sell advertisers access to specific audience segments. The user is not the customer in this model — the advertiser is. Understanding this reframes 'free' services: you are exchanging your data, not money, for access.
Question 5 Short Answer
Why is it important to think carefully about what personal data you share, even when you trust the company collecting it?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Even trustworthy companies can experience data breaches, be acquired by less trustworthy entities, change their privacy policies, or share data with third-party partners without your knowledge. Data shared today can persist and be used in ways you never anticipated. Additionally, data aggregated across many sources can reveal patterns you never intended to disclose.
Trust in a company at one moment doesn't guarantee your data will always be handled as you expect. Companies are sold, policies change, breaches happen, and third-party sharing extends your data beyond the original relationship. The practical implication: share the minimum necessary and review privacy settings regularly, rather than assuming that initial trust is permanent protection.