Privacy

What is the Privacy course?

Privacy is an important right and an essential enabler of an individual’s autonomy, dignity, and freedom of expression. Yet there is no universally agreed definition of privacy. In the online context, however, a common understanding of privacy is the right to determine when, how, and to what extent personal data can be shared with others.

This course gives you an understanding of how, in today’s digital age, information gathering is fast, easy, and less expensive than ever. Progress on a variety of technological fronts has contributed to this new world.

Personal data has become a profitable commodity. Every day, users share more personal data online, often unknowingly. The Internet of Things will increase this dramatically. These factors have the potential to expose personal data and create privacy challenges on a greater scale than ever before.

This course provides a solid foundation for encouraging the development and application of privacy frameworks that apply an ethical approach to data collection and handling. These are frameworks that incorporate, among other things, the concepts of fairness, transparency, participation, accountability, and legitimacy.

What are the course objectives?

Learn the definition and importance of privacy.
Understand and reinforce user trust of online services, even as online privacy is under constant pressure of being undermined.
Learn how to promote strong, technology-neutral data-privacy laws, privacy-by-design principles, and ethical data-collection and handling principles on the Internet.
Discover how to protect and foster online privacy.

What are the expected outcomes of this course?

Module 1: Introduction to online privacy

Learners will understand how privacy plays a crucial role in fostering trust between individuals and online services. They also will recognize that privacy is a complex concept with various interpretations and implications.
Learners will identify the primary threats to online privacy, such as data breaches, surveillance, and tracking.

Module 2: Privacy frameworks

Learners will recognize that privacy laws vary across different countries and jurisdictions.
Learners will identify the core principles of international privacy frameworks, such as the OECD Privacy Guidelines.
Learners will understand the importance of international cooperation in addressing global privacy challenges and ensuring consistent standards.

Module 3: Individual Privacy Rights: it’s complicated

Learners will understand how data flows across national borders and the implications for privacy and data protection.
Learners will recognize the importance of establishing international standards for data protection to ensure consistent levels of privacy.
Learners will identify the potential risks associated with data sharing and third-party access, such as unauthorized use or disclosure.

Module 4: Protecting Online Privacy Through Ethical Data Collection

Learners will understand how personal data can be valuable to businesses and organizations and how this can impact individual privacy.
Learners will recognize the importance of ethical data collection, storage, and use practices in protecting individual privacy.
Learners will be able to analyse core ethical principles, such as fairness, transparency, and accountability, that should guide data handling practices.

Who should attend this course?

This course does not have prerequisites.

You should attend this course if:

You would like to understand what privacy is and its importance.
You want to contribute to the growth and application of privacy frameworks that apply an ethical approach to data collection and handling.

How do I enroll in a course?

How do I access the learning platform as an Internet Society member?

As an Internet Society member, you can log into learning.internetsociety.org with your member login credentials. There is no need to create a new account. If you do not remember your login information, select Forgot Login? to be emailed your username and receive a link to reset your password. Once logged in, you will be able to view the course catalog and select the course you’d like to enroll in.

How do I access the learning platform as a non-member?

Both guests and Internet Society members can access the learning platform. To register as either, click Register on the login box at learning.internetsociety.org. Next, either register as a member or click on the guest registration form to register as a guest. Once you create an account, you can use the credentials you created (username and password) to log into learning.internetsociety.org. Once logged in, you will be able to view the course catalog and enroll in courses.

How do I enroll in a course?

Browse available courses in the course catalog or use the search bar to find the course you would like to enroll in. On each course page, click the “Enroll” button in the top right corner of the page to immediately be added to a course. Once you have successfully been enrolled, you will be able to see the course under “My Courses and Learning Plans”. You will also be able to see information about the course instructor, view the course’s forums, and access any modules that are available. If the course has not yet started, you will not see any modules until the day the course begins.

How do I join the waitlist for a course?

If you are on a course page and the button in the top right corner of the page reads “Enroll (Waiting List)”, this means the course has reached the maximum number of participants able to enroll. You can click the button to join the waitlist for the course and you will be notified if a spot becomes available.

How do I select the right course format?

When browsing the course catalog, you will see multiple versions of the same course available. All courses are available in English, French, and Spanish so first select the right language for you. You can do this by selecting the language of your choice in the left-hand filter in the course catalog or choosing the course that denotes the correct language (EN=English, FR=French, ES=Spanish).

You also have the option to choose the format that will work best for your connection type. All courses have 3 format options: high bandwidth, low bandwidth, and text-based for all connections. You can filter by bandwidth option in the left-hand filter on the course catalog or select the “Additional Information” tab when viewing a course to see which bandwidth connection you have selected.

If you have any questions about which version is best for you, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] to get assistance.

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Self-paced tutorial

Duration:
approximately 20 hours

Available in
English, French and Spanish

Offered online all year

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