AI Data Collection and Privacy
What data AI systems collect about you; who has it and why it matters; cookies, tracking, smart speakers always listening; your data is valuable
What a learner can do afterwards
- Name at least three types of personal data that AI systems collect
- Explain why personal data is valuable to companies
- Describe one step they can take to protect their privacy online
The lesson
Every time you use an app, search for something, or talk to a smart speaker, information about you gets collected. This is called your data, and it happens even when you don't notice it.
Your data can include your name, your location, photos you take, videos you watch, things you search for, and even the sound of your voice. A smart speaker that waits for its wake word is also sending information back to the company that made it.
Maya asks her family's smart speaker to play a song. The speaker plays the song, but it also saves a recording of what she asked. The company behind the speaker keeps that recording and uses it to learn more about what Maya likes.
You can protect your privacy. Before using a new app, check what permissions it asks for, like your camera or your location. If the app doesn't need something to work, you can say no, and always ask a parent or guardian before sharing personal information online.
Apps and AI systems collect your data all the time, but you can control some of what you share.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Nothing builds on it yet.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.