Kid''s Data Privacy
The Implications of Giving Away Our Children’s Data
As a mother of two little girls, I often wonder about the amount of data we are giving away about our children and the implications of this. It wasn’t until 2015 that I realized just how much data is being produced and collected about children every day. This led me to launch a research project called Child Data Citizen to better understand the extent of this issue.
It’s not just about the photos we post of our children on social media, although that is part of it. The problem is much bigger than that. For the first time in history, we are tracking the individual data of children from before they are born and throughout their lives. From the moment parents decide to conceive, they go online to search for ways to get pregnant or download ovulation-tracking apps. And once they do get pregnant, they track every detail of their baby’s development on different technologies.
But it’s not just mobile apps, web searches, and social media that are collecting data on our children. They are being tracked by multiple technologies in their everyday lives, including hometechnologies, virtual assistants, educational platforms, online records at the doctor’s office, internet-connected toys, and many more.
Many parents may think there’s no harm in this because they have nothing to hide. However, individual data is not only being tracked but also being profiled based on predictive analytics, which can have serious consequences. Artificial intelligence is being used to harness as much data as possible from different sources to make data-driven decisions about individuals. These technologies are used by banks to decide loans, insurance companies to decide premiums, recruiters and employers to decide job fits, and even by the police and courts to determine potential criminal behavior.
The problem is that we have no control over the ways in which those who buy, sell, and process our data are profiling us and our children. We are being profiled in ways that can significantly impact our chances in life. For instance, data gathered through online college-planning services has been sold to educational data brokers who profiled kids as young as two based on categories like ethnicity, religion, and social awkwardness. This data was then sold to different companies, including student loans and credit card companies.
The truth is that these technologies are biased and can’t profile humans accurately. They’ve been designed by human beings within a specific cultural context and shaped by specific cultural values. When machines learn, they learn from biased algorithms and databases. We are starting to trust technologies when it comes to profiling human beings, which is a fundamental problem in our society.
We need to demand greater data justice for ourselves and our children. Our data rights are our human rights. Until we recognize this and demand political solutions, we cannot hope for a more just future. I worry that my daughters will be exposed to all sorts of algorithmic discrimination and error. We need to start working together as individuals, organizations, and institutions to prevent this from happening before it’s too late.
The Implications of Giving Away Our Children’s Data
As parents, we often share details about our children’s lives online, from pregnancy announcements to baby pictures, and beyond. While it may seem harmless to post pictures of our children on social media, we need to be aware of the data we are providing to companies.
In today’s world, every week, we agree to terms and conditions, giving companies the lawful right to do whatever they want with our data and our children’s data. This means that we are constantly giving away vast amounts of data traces that are being produced and collected about our children.
From the moment of conception, parents go online to seek information on ways to get pregnant, download ovulation-tracking apps, and then track every detail of their baby’s development. Unfortunately, many parents do not realize that all these technologies are collecting data on their children, which is being transformed into profit by sharing it with other companies.
The issue goes beyond just social media and technology, as children are being tracked by multiple technologies in their everyday lives, including hometechnologies, virtual assistants, educational platforms, online records at the doctor’s office, and even internet-connected toys and games.
We need to be aware of the implications of this data collection, as our children’s data is being profiled based on predictive analytics. This can have significant consequences, as algorithms are being used to make data-driven decisions about individuals. For example, banks are using this data to decide whether to grant loans, while insurance companies are using it to determine premiums. Recruiters and employers are using it to decide job fits, and even the police and courts are using it to determine potential criminal behavior.
It’s important to realize that these technologies are biased, as they are designed by humans within a specific cultural context and shaped by specific cultural values. When machines learn, they learn from biased algorithms and databases, and the outcomes can be increased and perpetuated by police bias and error. This is particularly true in the case of predictive policing, where AI technologies have been trained on “dirty data” gathered during historical periods of known racial bias and nontransparent police practices.
As parents, we need to demand greater data justice for ourselves and our children. We must recognize that our data rights are our human rights, and that we need political solutions to prevent algorithmic discrimination and error from impacting our children’s lives. It’s time to work together as individuals, organizations, and institutions to ensure that our children are protected from the harmful effects of data collection and predictive analytics before it’s too late.
Why We Need to Protect Our Children’s Data
In today’s digital age, it’s common for parents to share information about their children online, from pregnancy announcements to pictures and updates on social media. However, we need to be aware of the data we are providing to companies and the implications this can have for our children’s futures.
When we agree to terms and conditions, we are giving companies the legal right to use our data and that of our children in any way they see fit. This means that data traces about our children are being produced and collected from before they are born and throughout their lives.
Parents often use a range of technologies, from ovulation-tracking apps to educational platforms and online portals, to track their children’s development. However, many of these technologies are collecting data that is being shared with other companies and transformed into profit.
The issue goes beyond just social media and technology, as children are being tracked by multiple technologies in their everyday lives. For instance, educational databrokers are profiling children on the basis of different categories, including ethnicity, religion, affluence, and social awkwardness, among others.
The problem with this data collection is that it’s being used to make data-driven decisions about individuals, including whether to grant loans, determine insurance premiums, or decide on job fits. Even the police and courts are using this data to determine potential criminal behavior.
The concern is that these technologies are biased, as they are designed by humans with specific cultural contexts and values. They often learn from biased algorithms and databases, which can perpetuate police bias and error, as seen in predictive policing. In this type of policing, AI technologies are trained on “dirty data,” which is data gathered during historical periods of known racial bias and nontransparent police practices.
As parents, we must recognize that our data rights are human rights, and we need political solutions to prevent algorithmic discrimination and error from impacting our children’s lives. It’s time to work together to demand greater data justice for ourselves and our children.
We must understand the implications of this data collection and recognize that our children’s data is being used to profile them on the basis of predictive analytics. We need to demand transparency and accountability from companies and governments to ensure that our children’s rights are protected. Let’s work together to safeguard our children’s futures by protecting their data today.
The Need to Protect Our Children’s Data: The Potential Impact on Their Future
With the rise of technology and the internet, we have entered an age where we are constantly sharing data online. We agree to terms and conditions without a second thought, giving companies the right to use our data in any way they see fit. However, we need to take a closer look at what data we are providing, particularly when it comes to our children.
As an anthropologist and mother of two young girls, I became interested in this issue when I realized just how much data is being collected and produced about children. This led me to launch a research project called “Child Data Citizen,” which aimed to fill in the gaps on this topic.
The problem is not just about “sharenting” or parents sharing photos of their children on social media. It’s much bigger than that. We are now tracking children’s data from before they are even born, using technologies like ovulation-tracking apps and educational platforms to monitor their development.
However, the data collected from these technologies can be transformed into profit, shared with third parties, and used to make data-driven decisions about individuals. For example, banks use this data to decide on loans, and employers use it to decide on job fits.
Moreover, the technologies we use to track children’s data can be biased. Algorithms are designed by humans, and they can learn from biased algorithms and databases, perpetuating police bias and error. In the case of predictive policing, AI technologies are trained on “dirty data,” which can increase and perpetrate police bias and error.
As parents, we need to recognize that our children’s data rights are human rights. We must demand greater transparency and accountability from companies and governments to ensure that our children’s rights are protected.
The implications of this data collection are significant. Our children’s data can be used to profile them, impacting their chances in life. As we move towards a more digital world, it’s essential that we work together to demand greater data justice for ourselves and our children.
It’s time to start taking action to protect our children’s data and safeguard their futures. Let’s work together to ensure that our children’s rights are protected, and that we can all move towards a more just and equitable society.
The Risks of Sharing Our Children’s Data: Why We Need to Be More Mindful
Every time we agree to terms and conditions online, we are unwittingly giving companies the right to use our data in whatever way they see fit. But what about our children’s data? How much are we giving away, and what are the implications?
As an anthropologist and a mother of two young girls, I became interested in this question several years ago when I realized just how much data is being collected and produced about children. We are tracking children’s data from before they are born, through their lives, and into adulthood.
Parents may use ovulation-tracking apps to conceive, post ultrasound photos on social media, download pregnancy apps, and consult Dr. Google for advice. Once the baby is born, they track every nap, feed, and life event on different technologies. And all of this data is transformed into profit by sharing it with others.
But this data collection is not just limited to mobile apps, social media, and web searches. Children are being tracked by multiple technologies in their everyday lives, such as home technologies and virtual assistants, educational platforms and educational technologies, and online records and portals at their doctor’s office.
The data collected can be used to make decisions about individuals, such as whether they are a good fit for a job or whether they are likely to commit a crime. But the technologies used to track this data can be biased and perpetuate police bias and error.
It’s essential that we recognize our children’s data rights as human rights and demand greater transparency and accountability from companies and governments. We must work together to ensure that our children’s rights are protected and that they are not unfairly profiled based on their data.
We need to be more mindful of the risks of sharing our children’s data and work towards a more just and equitable society. Let’s take action to protect our children’s data and safeguard their futures.
The Dangers of Giving Away Our Children’s Data
Every day, we agree to terms and conditions without thinking twice about the implications. But have you ever wondered how much data we are giving away about our children, and what the potential consequences could be? As an anthropologist and a mother of two, I began to explore this question in 2015, when I realized that vast amounts of data were being collected and stored about children from the moment of conception throughout their lives.
From fertility and pregnancy apps to baby monitors and educational technology, children are being tracked by multiple technologies in their everyday lives. While some parents may think they have nothing to hide, the problem is much bigger than “sharenting” or posting photos of your children on social media. The issue lies with the systems themselves, and the companies that have the lawful right to do whatever they want with our data and that of our children.
The data being collected and analyzed can impact our rights in significant ways. Artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are being used to profile individuals based on their data traces, and these technologies are being used everywhere from banks and insurance companies to recruiters and even police departments. However, these algorithms are never completely objective as they are designed by humans and can be biased by cultural values and historical data.
Educational data brokers, for example, profile children based on categories such as ethnicity, religion, and affluence, and then sell this information to trade and career institutions, student loan and credit card companies. These profiles can come to impact children’s chances in life and prevent them from reaching their full potential.
We need to start asking ourselves if we can trust these technologies when it comes to profiling our children. The answer is no. As a society, we need to demand greater data justice for ourselves and our children before it’s too late. We need governments to recognize that our data rights are human rights and to take action to ensure that our children’s data is protected.
The Implications of Giving Away Our Children’s Data
As a mother of two little girls, I became interested in the question of how much data we are giving away about our children and its implications. In today’s world, when we agree to the terms and conditions of various platforms, we provide companies with the lawful right to do whatever they want with our data and our children’s data.
The problem is way bigger than what some refer to as “sharenting.” For the very first time in history, we are tracking the individual data of children from long before they’re born, sometimes from the moment of conception, and then throughout their lives. This is not just about social media, but rather the vast amount of data traceable to children that are being produced and collected by multiple technologies in their everyday lives.
The technologies used to collect children’s data, such as mobile apps, web searches, educational platforms, and internet-connected toys, transform the baby’s most intimate behavioral and health data into profit by sharing it with others. For example, out of 24 mobile health apps, 19 shared information with third parties, and these third parties shared information with 216 other organizations. Of these 216 fourth parties, only three belonged to the health sector, and the other companies that had access to that data were big tech companies like Google, Facebook, or Oracle, digital advertising companies, and a consumer credit reporting agency.
Giving away our children’s data matters because individuals are not only being tracked, but they are also being profiled on the basis of their data traces. Artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are being used to harness as much data as possible from different sources, such as family history, purchasing habits, and social media comments, to make data-driven decisions about the individual. These technologies are used everywhere, from banks to insurance companies, recruiters, employers, police, and courts, and we have no knowledge or control over the ways in which those who buy, sell, and process our data are profiling us and our children.
The truth is that our children are being profiled in ways that we cannot control, but that can significantly impact their chances in life. We need to ask ourselves: can we trust these technologies when it comes to profiling our children? My answer is no. Artificial intelligence and predictive analytics cannot objectively profile humans, as data traces are not the mirror of who we are. Human beings think one thing and say the opposite, feel one way, and act differently. Moreover, these technologies are always biased in one way or another. Algorithms cannot be objective because they have been designed by human beings within a specific cultural context and shaped by specific cultural values.
In conclusion, we are starting to trust technologies when it comes to profiling human beings, but we need to abandon the belief that these technologies can objectively profile humans and rely on them to make data-driven decisions about individual lives. Until governments recognize that our data rights are our human rights, we cannot hope for a more just future.
The implications of giving away our children’s data
Every day, we agree to terms and conditions and provide companies with the lawful right to do whatever they want with our data and the data of our children. But have you ever wondered how much data we’re giving away about our children, and what are its implications? As an anthropologist and a mother of two little girls, I became interested in this question in 2015 when I realized that there were vast amounts of data being collected about children from long before they’re born.
When parents decide to conceive, they go online to look for “ways to get pregnant” or they download ovulation-tracking apps. And when they do get pregnant, they post ultrasound images of their babies on social media, download pregnancy apps, or consult Dr. Google for all sorts of things. And then, when the baby is born, they track every nap, every feed, and every life event on different technologies. All of these technologies transform the baby’s most intimate behavioral and health data into profit by sharing it with others.
Children are being tracked by multiple technologies in their everyday lives, including home technologies, virtual assistants in their homes, educational platforms and educational technologies in their schools, online records and online portals at their doctor’s office, and their internet-connected toys, games, and many other technologies. During my research, many parents asked me, “So what? Why does it matter if my children are being tracked? We’ve got nothing to hide.” But it matters because today, individuals are not only being tracked, they’re also being profiled on the basis of their data traces.
Artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are being used to harness as much data as possible of an individual’s life from different sources such as family history, purchasing habits, and social media comments. And then they bring this data together to make data-driven decisions about the individual. These technologies are used everywhere, from banks to insurance companies to recruiters and employers, and even the police and courts use them to determine whether someone is a potential criminal or is likely to commit a crime.
We have no knowledge or control over the ways in which those who buy, sell, and process our data are profiling us and our children. But these profiles can come to impact our rights in significant ways. We need to ask ourselves, can we trust these technologies when it comes to profiling our children? The answer is no. As an anthropologist, I believe that artificial intelligence and predictive analytics can be great to predict the course of a disease or to fight climate change. But we need to abandon the belief that these technologies can objectively profile humans and that we can rely on them to make data-driven decisions about individual lives. Because they can’t.
Conclusion
In conclusion, giving away our children’s data can have far-reaching implications. It can not only compromise their privacy and security, but it can also affect their future opportunities and choices. As parents and guardians, it’s crucial to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect our children’s data. We should carefully read the privacy policies of the apps and services they use and limit the amount of personal information we share online. Additionally, we should educate our children about online safety and the importance of protecting their personal information. By taking these measures, we can ensure that our children’s data is not misused and that they can navigate the online world safely and confidently.
