Bits of You YOUR RIGHTS MATTER! - PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION: ALT Advisory
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Bits of You PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION: YOUR RIGHTS MATTER! Read more to understand why it matters, what your rights are and how you can protect yourself. altadvisory.africa January 2021
PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION:
WHY DOES But what if the profile is incorrect? If you
IT MATTER?
are only seeing news content which is one-
sided, how are your views being
challenged? This information, and the
Everyday you create and give away decisions to show you specific content,
information about yourself – little bits of can be used to dilute the diversity of
you. This happens when you do a Google information which you are exposed to,
search, post a photograph on social media, reinforce bias and manipulate your
complete an online spirit-animal test or choices.
read the news.
The culture of mass data collection has the
Some of these bits you may have potential to undermine your right to
voluntarily provided – like your name and privacy. This right is important for
birth date when you sign up on social autonomy – it allows you to choose how to
media; other bits may be automatically engage with the world and control
recorded – like your device information, what information about yourself is known
the content of your internet search and the to others and the public. It also enables
length of time you engaged with a the exercise of your other rights, including
particular piece of content. access to information and freedom of
opinion and expression. Knowing that the
details of your activities are collected and
These little bits may seem small and
used may undermine a person’s
inconsequential when viewed in isolation,
willingness to speak out critically about a
but when collated they may create a larger
controversial topic or access sensitive
image. This may reveal where you have
information.
been, what you like, what videos you
watch and what articles you read. These
It is important that you know what data is
little bits are put together to create a
being collected about you and how it is
profile about you – one that informs
being used, so that you can make informed
decisions about which products to
decisions and exercise control over
advertise and what content to make
your data.
available to you.
SOME OF YOU MAY THINK:
‘SO WHAT? THE INTERNET
JUST SHOWS ME WHAT
I’M INTERESTED IN.’BABY BITS ALSO ADD UP
A child’s digital footprint can start
developing even before they are born.
From the sonagrams posted, birth
announcements and first step videos, to
gaming, chat groups, tagging, statuses and
everything in between, children’s online
lives are often meticulously recorded and
stored.
Sharing these special moments,
developmental milestones, and social
interactions may seem innocuous. But
most of this information does not expire; it
remains in existence and allows states and
Safety: Sharing location data, images,
companies to maintain entire records of a
and certain content could put children
child’s digital existence. There can be
at risk, both on- and offline. People with
both immediate and long-term
bad intentions could use the
consequences of this.
publication of this data to harm
children. For example, children could
be exposed to reputational
harm,cyberbullying and identity theft.
Images of children could also be
captured and shared within networks
for child sexual abuse material.
Digital footprint: All the little bits of
children that are shared online are
added over time to create a long-
lasting digital footprint. The longevity
of this information could have
implications for children well into
adulthood. This could include
influencing educational opportunities,
future employment, relationships and
financial inclusion.WHAT BITS ARE BEING
COLLECTED ABOUT YOU?
Data is the currency for online services. In exchange for utilising free services and
platforms, you are paying with your personal data. It is estimated that 2.5 quintillion bytes
of data are generated every day - how many bits of this are about you?
HERE'S SOME WHAT GOOGLE AND
FACEBOOK TAKE FROM YOU!FIND OUT WHAT BITS THEY
HAVE OF YOU
To find out what location data Google has
about you:
https://www.google.com/maps/timelin
e?pb
To find out the data on everything you
have searched for on Google:
https://myactivity.google.com/myactivi
ty
To find out which apps Google has access
to:
https://security.google.com/settings/s
ecurity/permissions
To find out your YouTube history:
https://www.youtube.com/feed/histor
y/search_history
To access all of the data Google
has about you:
https://www.google.com/takeout
To access and download the data
Facebook has about you:
https://www.facebook.com/help/13111
2897028467WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY
AND DATA PROTECTION
RIGHTS?
POPIA PROVIDES THE
FOLLOWING RIGHTS:
Notification: You have the right to be
notified that your personal information
is being processed or accessed by an
unauthorised person.
Access: You have the right to establish
whether a responsible party holds
Section 14 of the Constitution of the personal information about you and to
Republic of South Africa, 1996 states that request access to it.
everyone has the right to privacy. Inherent Correction, destruction or deletion:
in the right is the ability to determine what You have the right to request the
information about you is made public, and correction, destruction, or deletion of
to control how that data is collected and your personal information.
used. Objection: You have the right to object
to the processing of your personal
In order to give effect to the right to information.
privacy, the Protection of Personal Direct marketing: You have the right
Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) was not to have your personal information
enacted. POPIA regulates the ways in processed for direct marketing.
which data can be processed, which Automated decision-making: You
includes everything from how it is have the right not to be subject to a
collected, stored, used and transferred to decision which is based solely on
other organisations or countries. automated processing of your personal
information.
POPIA deals specifically with the
processing of personal information, such
as contact information, information
concerning your race, gender, marital
status and sexual orientation. It also
includes information about your mental
health, religion, criminal and employment
history, as well as biometric information.According to the Constitutional
Court, the right to privacy is even more
pressing when dealing with children. Along
with the right to privacy, the best interests
of the child are of paramount importance
in every matter concerning the child, which
includes the processing of data.
POPIA acknowledges that children are
deserving of particular protection when it
comes to the processing of their personal
information. The personal information of a
child may not be processed, unless:
It is carried out with the prior consent of
a competent person;
It is necessary for the establishment,
exercise or defence of a right or
Obligation in law;
It is necessary to comply with an
obligation of international public law;
It is for historical, statistical or research
purposes; or
It is data that has been made public by
the child with the consent of a
competent person.
The following are useful resources on the
right to privacy:
Report of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights, The
right to privacy
in the digital age, available here:
https://undocs.org/A/HRC/39/29
UNICEF, Children’s online privacy and
freedom of expression, available here:
https://www.unicef.org/csr/files/U
NICEF_Childrens_Online_Privacy_and_
Freedom_of_Expression(1).pdfHOW CAN YOU PROTECT
YOURSELF?
1. Stay informed – read the terms of 4. Opt-out of personalised ads – these
service for platforms, websites and apps to links let you opt-out of personalised
understand what data they are collecting advertising:
from you and how they intend to use it. If On Google:
you are not happy, look for alternatives. https://adssettings.google.com/aut
For more information on alternatives, henticated
visit:https://myshadow.org/increase For specific companies:
-your-privacy#protect-on https://optout.aboutads.info/?
c=2&lang=EN
2. Adjust your settings – when you
download a new app or visit a website, you 5. Learn with your children – talk to your
do not have to accept the default privacy children about their online experiences,
or cookie settings. You can view them and and together learn about the different
choose what data to share. ways to protect their privacy online.
3. Protect your information – follow basic Check out some local and international
security steps in order to protect your resources that can help your children
information from unauthorised access. develop their skills and navigate their
keep your apps and device’s software privacy online:
up to date – software updates often fix
bugs and improve security; https://webrangers.co.za/web-ranger-
Install security and antivirus software curriculum/
on your devices; and
Use strong passwords and change https://www.internetmatters.org/issues
them regularly. /privacy-identity/protect-your-childs-
data/
https://www.lse.ac.uk/my-privacy-uk
https://www.unicef.org/bulgaria/en/st
ories/staying-safe-onlineYou can also read
