The latest TechTips from Brian Taylor

Ever heard of the term “collaborative obfuscation” ? I hadn’t either until reading this recent article from CNET. We are all, to varying degrees of understanding, aware of the tech giants collecting our data and tracking our online behaviour. Now our teens are becoming hyper-aware and forming groups to confuse the likes of Instagram (owned by Facebook). Watch the first few minutes of the video above to see how they are doing it. I’m aligned with Liz O'Sullivan, technology director at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, when she says:

“Teens shouldn't have to go to those lengths to socialize privately on Instagram…I love that the younger generation is thinking along these lines, but it bothers me when we have to come up with these strategies to avoid being tracked…the platform should just have an account that works and lets people feel safe about being on social media."

Enjoy the half-term break.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnFhRxFO2Io https://www.cnet.com/news/teens-have-figured-out-how-to-mess-with-instagrams-tracking-algorithm/