The 5Ds of privacy literacy: a framework for privacy education

Abstract

Purpose Existing privacy-related educational materials are not situated in privacy theory, making it hard to understand what specifically children learn about privacy. This study aims, to offer learning objectives and guidance grounded in theories of privacy and learning to serve as a foundation for privacy literacy efforts. Design/methodology/approach This article reviews theories of privacy and literacy as social practices and uses these insights to contribute a set of learning objectives for privacy education called the 5Ds of privacy literacy. Findings This article connects the 5Ds of privacy literacy with existing curricular standards and offers guidance for using the 5Ds to create educational efforts for preteens grounded in theories of sociocultural learning. Practical implications Learning scientists, instructional designers and privacy educators can use the 5Ds of privacy literacy to develop educational programs that help children hone their ability to enact appropriate information flows. Social implications Current approaches to privacy education treat privacy as something people need to protect from the incursions of technology, but the authors believe the 5Ds of privacy literacy can redefine privacy – for children and adults alike – as something people experience with the help of technology. Originality/value This study uniquely integrates theories of privacy and learning into an educational framework to guide privacy literacy pedagogy.

Orienting privacy literacy toward social change

“…They presented participants with “decision-making frameworks and tools for determining their own online persona priorities, articulating areas of risk, identifying compromised and defunct digital accounts, and shredding some of their digital baggage” and facilitated a series of activities to help participants reflect on their privacy priorities and develop plans to align their digital presence with those priorities (Hartman-Caverly et al , 2023, p. 244). Similarly, Kumar and Byrne (2022) offered a set of learning objectives called the 5Ds of privacy literacy to help children strengthen their privacy decision-making skills.…”

“…For instance, bridging the knowledge- and process-based characterizations, Desimpelaere et al (2020) explain that while their privacy literacy training for children largely focused on behavior change, such trainings should also inspire critical thinking and reflection. Melding the process- and practice-based conceptualizations, Pangrazio and Selwyn (2018) and Kumar and Byrne (2022) treat data-driven interactions as embedded in practices while advocating literacy frameworks grounded in critical thinking. Baruh et al (2017) highlight the value of qualitative research on privacy decision-making and practice, noting that the often quantitative studies of privacy literacy as knowledge cannot explain why people make the privacy decisions they do and how their actions reflect their response to the contemporary information landscape.…”

Exploring How U.S. K-12 Education Addresses Privacy Literacy

“…Most standards approach privacy education as instructing students on "what not to do" rather than on helping them learn how to navigate privacy issues in digital environments, despite the fact that scholars advise against this "do's and don'ts" approach to privacy education (Kumar et al, 2018;. This suggests that recently developed privacy education frameworks (e.g., Kumar & Byrne, 2022;Livingstone et al 2020) may help educators bring a more nuanced approach to privacy into their classrooms.…”

“…Educators recognize this need for privacy lessons but do not always feel equipped to teach them (Kumar et al, 2019). Indeed, the term "privacy" has many meanings, and the concept of privacy does not easily fit in a specific subject, intersecting with social studies, computer science, media literacy, digital literacy, and digital citizenship (Kumar & Byrne, 2022). Scholars have begun developing frameworks for privacy education (e.g., Kumar & Byrne, 2022;Livingstone et al 2020), but such efforts will have a higher chance of success if they can be integrated into existing educational standards.…”

“…Indeed, the term "privacy" has many meanings, and the concept of privacy does not easily fit in a specific subject, intersecting with social studies, computer science, media literacy, digital literacy, and digital citizenship (Kumar & Byrne, 2022). Scholars have begun developing frameworks for privacy education (e.g., Kumar & Byrne, 2022;Livingstone et al 2020), but such efforts will have a higher chance of success if they can be integrated into existing educational standards. Thus, in this study we are analyzing U.S. K-12 educational standards to understand whether and how they address privacy literacy.…”