online privacy

How is Surveillance Capitalism Affecting You?

November 17, 2022 by sarahhernandez

Most of us love to have free online platforms available to us for information and entertainment. But have you ever noticed that each person’s online “feed” differs? Learn how your online behaviors are tracked, monitored, studied, and sold in today’s GKIS article. If you worry your family hasn’t covered all the bases in regard to online safety, check out our Screen Safety Essentials Course to learn how to be internet safe for you and your family.

Your Digital Footprint

Let’s cover some basic tech vocabulary to start.

A digital footprint is a data map that is left behind anytime you use the internet. You may be notified that your data is being tracked or it may be happening without your explicit consent.

When you aren’t aware of the data that is being collected, you have a passive digital footprint.[2] This information usually includes your IP address and where and when it came from.

An active digital footprint is created when you upload information about yourself on a website, usually under a profile.[3]

The term cookies refers to a third-party system that collects statistics about your current browsing to tailor your future browsing experience. Cookies remain even after you leave a website.[4] There is usually a pop-up service announcement informing you about the use of cookies when entering a website because of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This legislation was passed in Europe in 2018 to protect personal data and privacy for companies that intend to sell consumer data information to a third party.[6] This legislation requires any website to have a “cookie pop-up” for websites based in Europe or for those that target European citizens. Legislation similar to this is California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). CCPA is the first legislation in the United States to also protect users from having their data stored by a third party without their consent.[7] To learn more about protective legislation for online content, check out our GKIS article California’s Newest Online Privacy Protections for Kids.

What is surveillance capitalism?

Surveillance capitalism refers to the process of online data collection from cookies that can then be used to create an algorithm for personalized advertising. An algorithm is a specific sequence of content tailored for you that is automatically offered when you use a browser, app, social media, or shopping platform. Creating algorithms is profitable because it allows online businesses to tailor ads for you and offer products they think you’re most likely to buy.

Surveillance capitalism is practiced by companies that profit from knowing your interests and habitual online behaviors. Some corporations don’t sell to you directly. Instead, they collect your data and then sell it to third parties.[4] In this situation, YOU are the product. Companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are required to release statements about their direct data collection. Many of them have also admitted to using third-party data companies.[5]

Dr. Bennett writes about this very phenomenon in her book Screen Time in the Mean Time.[8] She writes:

Websites often have many of these ad trackers surveilling your online activity. The data generated from online tracking has been referred to as digital exhaust because clusters of trackers can follow you from site to site. In addition to information collected from tracking, Facebook buys personal information about its users from one of many services like Experian and Equifax … Not only are adults targeted for ads, but the digital age has ushered in an increasing commercialization of childhood as well. Because of a dramatic increase in personal screen privatization (child Internet use without supervision) and unregulated corporate marketing, an enormous growth in advertising targets children.

Companies are so good at anticipating your interests, many speculate if they are recording your conversations. Find out if this is legal in our GKIS article, “Is Facebook Spying by Hijacking Your Smartphone Mic?”

What can you do to protect your privacy?

Review terms of service for every website.
Check privacy settings on browsers.[1]
Clear your data and search history frequently.
Filter and block for safe browsing.
Opt out of cookies for specific websites.

To learn more about cyber safety, Dr. B created the Cybersecurity & Red Flags Supplement to help parents learn about exposure to online risks and how to protect their privacy. Also, if you are a parent concerned about your child accessing the internet, check out the Screen Safety Toolkit. This toolkit guides you to learn how to filter your family’s browsing and offers information about our own favorite third-party party safety system.

Thanks to CSUCI intern Sarah Hernandez for researching Surveillance Capitalism.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Work Cited

[1] How to search and find your digital footprint: TDS Home. TDS Home | Home, Internet, Phone, TV & DVR Services. (2019, September 12). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://blog.tdstelecom.com/security/how-to-search-and-find-your-digital-footprint/

[2] Digital footprints. Family Lives. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/your-family/online-safety/digital-footprints#:~:text=A%20passive%20footprint%20is%20made,sites%20or%20by%20using%20websites.

[3] Kaspersky. (2022, March 9). What is a digital footprint? and how to protect it from hackers. www.kaspersky.com. Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-a-digital-footprint

[4] Guide to third-party-data: Third-party-data services. Mobilewalla. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://www.mobilewalla.com/third-party-data#what-is-third-party-data

[5] Lee, R. (2022, August 10). Can your phone hear your conversations? (yes, but here’s how). Spiralytics. Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://www.spiralytics.com/blog/mobile-ads-can-phone-hear-conversations-infographic/

[6] What is GDPR, the EU’s new Data Protection Law? GDPR.eu. (2022, May 26). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://gdpr.eu/what-is-gdpr/

[7] Daniela. (n.d.). CCPA compliance with Cookiebot CMP. Cookiebot. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.cookiebot.com/en/ccpa/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=usa-generic&utm_device=c&utm_term=do%2Bi%2Bneed%2Ba%2Bcookie%2Bpolicy%2Bon%2Bmy%2Bwebsite%2Busa&utm_content=usa-eng-cookie-policy&gclid=Cj0KCQiA37KbBhDgARIsAIzce15QgUuLTccBBOR_gea1lFedi3w7Id85Ubz06ejheiLsMeEFvnrZgVoaAsUMEALw_wcB

[8] Bennett, T. (2019). Screen time in the meantime: A parenting guide to get kids and teens internet safe. GetKidsInternetSafe Books. https://getkidsinternetsafe.com/parenting-guide/

Photo Credits

Chris Yang: https://unsplash.com/photos/1tnS_BVy9Jk

Maxim Hopman https://unsplash.com/photos/IayKLkmz6g0

Gerd Altmann https://pixabay.com/images/id-1054708/

California’s Newest Online Privacy Protections for Kids

November 11, 2022 by janettejimenez

When children use online search engines, their search results can contain anything one can imagine – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter pose a particular threat, offering potentially dangerous data-sharing and location information to cyberbullies and predators. In 2022, the California Age Appropriate Design Code Bill (AB 2273) passed. This bill aims to protect our children’s online activity by requiring platforms to make changes.[1] With online activity dangers and increasing rates of digital injuries, psychologist Dr. Tracy Bennett saw the need to educate tweens and teens about social media in a fun and engaging way. To help, she created the GKIS Social Media Readiness Course. She also created the GKIS Screen Safety Toolkit for parents to be able to filter, monitor, and manage their kid’s internet activity. Check them out for help with your family’s online safety. Today’s GKIS article discusses California’s newest online child privacy protections bill.

Recent Child Safety Bills

The California Age Appropriate Design Code Bill

The California Age Appropriate Design Code Bill was introduced by California State Assembly members Buffy Wicks and Jordan Cunningham and unanimously approved by a 33-0 vote in 2022.[1] It’s modeled after the United Kingdom’s age-appropriate design code. It is the first legislation in the United States to impose restrictions and data protection obligations on businesses providing services to users under the age of 18. It also includes requirements that online sites conduct a data protection impact assessment before new services are offered.[3]

The Kids Online Safety Act of 2022

The Kids Online Safety Act of 2022 (KOSA) is a kid’s online safety act that aims to empower both parents and children to have control over their online activity.[5] It would provide children and parents with the right tools and safeguards by requiring that social media platforms have protective options regarding algorithms, product features, and information.[5] KOSA would require social media platforms to have a duty to prevent harm to minors in its many forms.[5] The KOSA bill requires that non-profit organizations and academic researchers get access to data from social media platforms to conduct research regarding harm to the well-being and safety of minors.[5]

The Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act

The Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) is legislation that also aims to strengthen minors’ online protections.[6] It would amend the original 1998 act and strengthen the online collection and disclosure of information of children up to the age of 16.[6]

Enforcing The California Age Appropriate Design Code Bill

This act could have significant consequences when businesses must amend data management starting July 1, 2024.[3] Enforcement of this act will be taken seriously as violations can result in the California Attorney General seeking an injunction and a civil penalty of up to $2,500.00 per affected child per each negligent violation or $7,500.00 per child for each intentional violation.[3]

It applies to for-profit organizations that do business in California and meet one of the following three requirements

they must have annual gross revenue of over $25 million
they must buy, receive, sell, or share the personal information of over 50,000 consumers, devices, and households
they must derive 50% or more of annual revenues from selling consumers’ personal information.[4]

Who will be impacted?

California is the only state implementing the act currently. Thus, only children in California will be protected. This act is a big deal because businesses subject to it are prohibited from taking actions like using the personal information of a child in a way that is materially detrimental to their well-being, using dark patterns to lead or encourage children to provide personal information, or profiling children by default.[3]

This act will ensure the highest possible privacy settings by default for users under 18. It will also bar data collection on precise locations of children under 18.

The creation of rules will be subjected to future rounds of rulemaking, and the Attorney General may look for recommendations from the Children’s Data Protection Working Group on issues addressing rulemaking.[4] The act will establish the Children’s Data Protection Working Group tasked with developing recommendations and best practices to address critical uncertainties of the bill.[4]

Predators can easily prey on children with social media geo-location features. The code would require that companies make the safety and privacy of children a priority in the design of all digital services and products that children will have access to.[2] The code will restrict the detrimental profiling of kids and data collection, minimizing the risk of risky connections and harmful content.[2]

The bill will also require that children get the highest privacy settings by default. The use of nudge techniques that encourage kids to weaken privacy protections will be prohibited, and geolocation will be switched off.[2] It is no secret that children’s data is often used to create algorithms and features that harm children.[3] This code would stop this by making the companies stop using data that will prevent potentially harmful content from reaching your child.[3]

Helping Parents Better Protect Their Children

Children now more than ever face the most sophisticated online social media platforms and search engines. As the ever-evolving internet platforms have changed, psychologist Dr. Tracy Bennett has seen firsthand the devastating effects of digital injuries on children and their families. To help parents and families prevent digital injuries, we created several online courses like the GKIS Screen Safety Toolkit for parents of kids of all ages, the GKIS Connected Family Course for parents with children of elementary school age, and the GKIS Social Media Readiness Training for tweens, teens, and their parents. She also offers private personal Coaching and Workshops to parents who have more questions or looking for additional help tailored for their unique child.

Thanks to CSUCI intern, Janette Jimenez for researching California’s Newest Child Online Privacy Protections and authoring this article.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Works Cited

[1] We Need to Keep Kids Safe Online: California has the Solution https://californiaaadc.com/

[2] California AB2273 The California Age-appropriate design code act. https://trackbill.com/bill/california-assembly-bill-2273-the-california-age-appropriate-design-code-act/2228971/

[3] California Senate Approves Landmark California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act https://www.akingump.com/en/news-insights/california-senate-approves-landmark-california-age-appropriate-design-code-act.html

[4] California’s Age-Appropriate Design Code Act Heads to Newsom’s Desk – What Does this Mean for Businesses https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/california-s-age-appropriate-design-4389444/

[5] The Kids Online Safety Act of 2022 https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/kids_online_safety_act_-_one_pager.pdf

[6] FACT SHEET. — COPPA 2.0 https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/featured-content/files/coppa_2.0_one_pager_2021.pdf

Photo Credits

Photo by Victoria Heath (https://unsplash.com/photos/MAGAXAYq_NE)

Photo by Joakim Honkasalo (https://unsplash.com/photos/DurC25GdOvk)

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez (https://unsplash.com/photos/BjhUu6BpUZA?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink)

Photo by Ludovic Toinel (https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1503444200347-fa86187a2797?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1740&q=80 )

GDPR, Utah, Facebook, and Google: What Do They Have in Common?

May 25, 2018 by Dr. Tracy Bennett

It seems we may have FINALLY reached the tipping point for Internet safety. Governments are paying attention (GDPR), states are paying attention (Utah’s free-range parenting law), and Silicon Valley is paying attention (Google’s Family Link and Facebook’s Parents Portal). Guess why they’re paying attention! Because parents are demanding help. Parents now care, A LOT, about online privacy and preventing digital injury, and we are using our voices to make real change for our families. Today’s post is a quick summary of several things that have happened in the last few weeks that mean BIG THINGS are on the way to achieving screen safety for our kids.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Today is GDPR’s implementation date. The new mutually agreed General Data Protection Regulation was adopted by the European Parliament and European Council on April, 2016 after four years of negotiation. The two-year preparation period allowed businesses and public bodies opportunities to prepare for the changes. These new data protection laws were developed to replace the 1995 data protection directive with the objective to “harmonise” data privacy laws and give greater protection and rights to individuals.

After the slew of massive data breaches in the past six months with giants like Yahoo, MySpace, and LinkedIn, we at GetKidsInternetSafe believe this is a very positive move toward customer awareness and overall privacy protection. Under GDPR, the “destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to” personal data has to be reported to the country’s data protection regulator. Also, companies and organizations who collect customer data are required to document and inform customers about the details behind their data collection practices and systematically monitor processing. For some companies, this may mean hiring a data protection officer (DPO) and obtain consent in some situations. Noncompliance could result in fines. GDPR also gives customers more accessibility to the data collected about them and information about how it’s processed and what it’s used for.

What does this mean for American companies? For most, it means they’re scrambling to get compliant with GDPR. Giants like Facebook and Google have released statements committing to GDPR compliance, while others have gone dark as they block European customers from their sites until they’re confident with their compliance to avoid steep fines.

Utah’s Free-Range Kids

May 8^thUtah Governor Gary Herbert signed bill SB65 that allows kids to have some independence from their helicopter parents to earn independent problem-solving skills. Controversial for certain, I commend Utah for taking a stand supporting kids to branch out and walk to school, hang out at the neighborhood park, and wait in the car while mom or dad runs errands. I like the idea of parents making decisions for their kids without fearing law enforcement sanctions. Obviously, safety must be considered, but our kids long for a chance to spend time running and biking outdoors. Let’s give it to them!

Facebook’s Messenger Kids, Youth Portal, and Parents Portal

Facebook has been on the well-deserved hot seat lately. But I also want to commend them for reaching out to the child development expert community for partnership in the development of their Messenger Kids messaging app. Even some of us on their Youth Advisory Council were openly and outspokenly suspect of the potential risks of this child product, yet they are correct in saying that kids are on their parent’s social media platforms and messaging sites already. By developing a platform with kids in mind, they have implemented much-needed parent controls and socioemotional and educational features that enrich development and connection. Their new Parents Portal and Youth Portal promises to provide much-needed information that can help many of us get back on track with safety measures.

It’s a work in process, with testing and tweaks. But now that the bridges have been built, I believe Facebook may open their doors to all types of facilitation for connection. I love that corporate is cooperating with the academic and clinical communities in support of kids and families. I, for one, will continue to be a fierce advocate for family connection and safety and welcome collaborative, creative opportunities.

Google’s Family Link and Apple’s Families Web Page

Google’s Family Link and Apple’s Families Web Page are also newly live. Although there are improvements to be made, the focus is shifting to the potential for digital injury with kids and how to prevent it. That is what I’ve been clamoring for many years now. Good news!

With all the expert portals up, parents are getting the information they need to set controls. However, I also think the main issue is getting missed. It’s not only a corporate issue, or government issue, parent issue, or a kid issue … it’s a family issue. We’ve been helicoptering away to keep our kids safe and too many of us have lost the fun in being a family. It’s possible to limit for safety, be on screens, and be close as a family. That’s what GetKidsInternetSafe is all about.

Thanks for spreading GKIS info to friends and family. Have an awesome Memorial Day Weekend! Mine starts right now!

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe.com

Photo Credits

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash