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Terms and conditions -

Whenever we agree to terms and conditions, we are giving companies the permission to do what they like with our information, as well as our children's.

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Child Citizen Data -

Anthropologist Veronica Barassi became interested in this subject a few years ago and began her research project, Child Citizen Data.

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Date traces -

She discovered that we are leaving a vast amount of data traces through our online actions.

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Data profiles - For children born this century, their data profiles may have begun before they were even conceived.

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Early parenthood - When parents are beginning their journey, they may do an online search for "how to conceive," or download an app that tracks ovulation.

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Early parenthood -

When they become pregnant, they share ultrasound photos on social media and search their physical symptoms online. For example, "cramps in early pregnancy."

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Online presence -

When the baby is born, its online presence only grows. Many parents post photos on Facebook, use scheduling apps, and do research online about their child's behavior or symptoms of illness.

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Online presence - Before the child's first birthday, tech companies have already tracked them from conception and have intimate details about their life and health.

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Health apps - The British Medical Journal published a study that showed that out of 24 health apps, 19 shared user information with third parties.

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Data sharing - Those third party companies then shared the information with 216 other companies. Only three of those 216 companies were in the health sector.

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Data sharing -

The companies that ended up with the data included Google, Facebook and Oracle, as well as digital advertising and credit agencies.

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Data collection - Online searches, apps, and social media are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to data collection on children.

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Data collection -

Children are also tracked by smart home systems, virtual assistants (like Amazon's Alexa), and educational technologies and platforms at school.

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Data collection -

While it's disconcerting to think about how much tech companies know about us, you might also question why it matters? After all, if you have nothing to hide, it's rather harmless information...

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The consequences -

Unfortunately, it matters a lot. The information isn't just traced–it's used to create data profiles of individuals.

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The consequences -

AI and predictive analytics are used to gather as much information as possible about an individual using their family history, social media comments, and spending habits.

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The consequences - This information is then used to make data-based decisions about that individual. This technology is widely used.

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Profiling -

Banks use it to decide on loans, insurance companies use it to decide premiums, recruiters use it to decide if someone is a fit employee, and so on.

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Criminal profiling -

This profiling is also used by the police and courts to decide if someone is likely to be a criminal or recommit a crime.

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Educational data brokers - The information submitted by teenagers looking for college programs or scholarships was given to educational data brokers.

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Educational data brokers - The educational data brokers then profiled children as young as two based on ethnicity, religion, wealth, social awkwardness, and a huge range of other topics.

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Educational data brokers - These profiles were then sold along with each child's name, address, and contact details to companies such as trade and career institutions and student loans and student credit card companies.

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Educational data brokers - The researchers in this case tested the educational data brokers by requesting information about girls aged 14-15 years old who were interested in family planning services, i.e. birth control and abortions. The brokers were able to provide them with this data.

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Impact - It's hard to fathom the depth of information companies have about our children, and how that information can affect their lives.

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Conclusion -

Veronica Barassi concluded that we should not trust tech companies with our data.

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Human data - This kind of advanced data analytics can be useful for predicting disasters like disease outbreaks and climate change, but data traces do not truly represent human beings. Therefore, they should not be used to make important decisions that impact our lives.

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Biased algorithms -

In addition to this, Barassi claims that algorithms are always swayed by the biases of their creator. For example, the AI used for predictive policing in the US has been revealed to use data from times of racial bias and non-transparent police practices.

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Protect your rights -

Our data rights and our human rights are the same thing. Perhaps it's time to demand greater justice for ourselves and our children before it's too late.

See also: Effective discipline: positive strategies for children

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