SURVEILLANCE
STATE
STATE
What technology can identify a person by analyzing their face?
Facial recognition.
Name two types of information the government may store in databases.
Taxes, property, medical records, voting, prescriptions, arrests, school records, or licenses.
This technique transforms readable information into ciphertext using an algorithm and a key.
Encryption.
An authorized recipient uses the appropriate key to decode the information.
Which ethical framework asks whether ad blocking produces more overall benefits than harms?
Utilitarianism.
It weighs privacy and performance benefits against consequences such as lost revenue, jobs, and free content.
TikTok’s parent company is this company.
ByteDance
Name one privacy risk caused by widespread surveillance cameras.
Loss of anonymity, surveillance without knowledge, misidentification, or potential for abuse.
According to the presentation, does government collection of data automatically equal a privacy violation?
No. Collection itself does not automatically equal a privacy violation.
Name one tool people can use to improve online privacy.
Tracker blockers, anonymizers, spyware scanners, or privacy-focused search engines.
An ad blocker helps one user but may make free websites less available to low-income users. Which thinker/framework especially emphasizes that second consequence?
Rawls.
The 2019 U.S. TikTok/Musical.ly case centered on personal information belonging to which especially protected group?
Children.
The FTC alleged collection of children’s personal data without parental notice or consent.
Why is facial recognition more privacy-invasive than a normal security camera?
Because it can move from simply monitoring people to identifying them and linking them to other databases.
What creates the privacy risk once data is collected?
Misuse, unauthorized access, or disclosure.
Why does “Do Not Track” not guarantee privacy?
Because advertisers may ignore the request.
Why could Rawls object to widespread ad blocking?
If free content disappears or moves behind paywalls, lower-income users could lose access.
Name two types of information TikTok can collect.
Age, device/IP, approximate location, posts, messages, purchases, searches, likes, or watch time.
What is one major tension involving the NSA in the presentation?
National security versus privacy/legal limits on surveillance.
What is the concern when information collected for one purpose is later used for another?
Secondary use of data beyond its original purpose.
A hospital billing clerk can see billing information but not lab results. What privacy principle is this?
Access control, access should match the person’s job.
A website says, “Everyone has a duty to view ads because ads fund free content.” Which ethical framework from the presentation would question whether that could be a universal duty?
Deontology.
What was the major issue in the 2025 Irish DPC TikTok case?
TikTok had not demonstrated equivalent protection for EEA data transferred to China.
If surveillance is legal and accurate, what privacy concern could still remain?
Loss of anonymity, excessive tracking, or surveillance without meaningful knowledge or consent.
Why can a single national identifier make identity verification stronger AND privacy weaker at the same time?
It can reduce fraud and simplify verification, but it can also connect many databases and create one high-value identifier for tracking or attack.
What are audit trails used for?
To record who viewed or changed data, trace misuse, and discourage unauthorized access.
A company gives employees access to more customer information than they actually need for their jobs. Which privacy safeguard from the presentation is being violated?
Access controls
If a child personally agrees to TikTok’s privacy policy, is that consent necessarily valid or meaningful? Why or why not?
Not necessarily. In our presentation, the children’s privacy case emphasizes that parental notice/consent and workable age protections matter; a child simply accepting a policy does not, by itself, resolve the privacy concern.