Quick Resources — Module 3
Module 3: Why Privacy Matters — The Real Costs
Curated resources for exploring identity theft response, algorithmic discrimination investigations, surveillance and democracy, and the attention economy.
Learning Material
1 pagesQuick Resources — Module 3: Why Privacy Matters
These resources complement the lessons in Module 3. All are free to access and maintained by trusted organisations or independent investigators.
FTC Identity Theft — identitytheft.gov The US Federal Trade Commission's dedicated identity theft resource. Generates a personalised recovery plan, provides step-by-step instructions for placing fraud alerts and credit freezes, and offers template letters for disputing fraudulent accounts. 🔗 identitytheft.gov
ProPublica — 'Machine Bias' (2016) The landmark investigation into COMPAS, the risk-assessment algorithm used in US courts. Analyses racial disparities in false-positive and false-negative error rates across thousands of defendants. Essential reading on algorithmic discrimination in high-stakes decisions. 🔗 propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing
Center for Humane Technology — humanetech.com Founded by Tristan Harris, this organisation provides research, resources, and policy advocacy on the design of technology that aligns with human wellbeing. Includes accessible explainers on the attention economy and persuasive design. 🔗 humanetech.com
Shoshana Zuboff — 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism' (overview) Zuboff's book-length analysis of how digital platforms extract, analyse, and sell behavioural data to predict and modify human behaviour. For a concise introduction before reading the full book, search for her 2019 Guardian interview or her summary article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Related courses: The companion course Media Literacy covers persuasive design and information manipulation in depth. Kids Online examines the specific mental health and safety impacts on children and teenagers.