← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6

Why companies collect data about you

Companies track what you do online to learn what you like, show you targeted adverts and keep you using their app or site. Free apps often pay for themselves this way.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6 — Digital Footprints — Module 12

Understanding Why companies collect data about you in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6

What it does: Free apps often pay for themselves by collecting your data and showing adverts, so the data is part of the price. Suggested videos come from your watch history. This helps the company keep you watching longer. Companies track what you do to learn what you like. They use this to show you adverts and keep you using their app. Targeted adverts are chosen for you based on data a company collected about what you looked at or searched for. Data can be shared with other companies, such as advertisers. A privacy policy can tell you who it is shared with.

Common mistakes: There is a comma missing between the two things inside print(). It should be print("Up next:", suggested). The app uses what you watched to suggest more videos. An if line must end with a colon. It should be if app_is_free: so the message prints for free apps that may collect data.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 174–225) and word search (Modules 137–225).

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Learning
Duo
Why might a company collect data about what you watch and click in its app?
To learn what you like so it can show you things that suit youBecause the law says every app must collect data about you
Matches
free_app = no_data_collected
↓
Free apps are not always free of data collection. Many collect data about you to pay for themselves.
Applying
Meanings
Term
data collection
Meaning
Companies track what you do online to learn what you like, show you targeted adverts and keep you using their app or site. Free apps often pay for themselves this way.
Practice
A free app collects data about me.
Testing
Gaps
(likes)
Check Answer
Spots
3suggested = "more " + likes
4print("Up next:" suggested)

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Quick Questions

1. Why might a company collect data about what you watch and click in its app?
A. To learn what you like so it can show you things that suit you ✓
B. Because the law says every app must collect data about you
Companies track what you do to learn what you like. They use this to show you adverts and keep you using their app.
2. You search for football boots, and then adverts for football boots show up in other apps. What is this called?
A. Targeted adverts ✓
B. A random coincidence
Targeted adverts are chosen for you based on data a company collected about what you looked at or searched for.
3. A game is free to download. How might the company still make money?
A. By collecting data about players and showing adverts ✓
B. It cannot make any money, so it collects nothing
Free apps often pay for themselves by collecting data and showing adverts. Free does not always mean no cost.
4. A video app keeps suggesting new videos you might like. How does it choose them?
A. It picks videos at random and never looks at what you watch
B. It uses data about the videos you watched and liked before ✓
Suggested videos are based on your watch history. This helps keep you watching for longer.
5. Why do apps want to keep you watching or playing for a long time?
A. Apps want you to stay so you will learn more about privacy
B. The longer you stay, the more data they collect and the more adverts you see ✓
Keeping you using the app gives the company more data and more chances to show adverts.

Match the Pairs

data collection → Companies record what you do online, such as what you watch and click, to learn what you like
targeted advert → An ad picked for you because a company has learned what you like from your online activity
A free app makes money by collecting data about you and using it to show you adverts → free_app = collect(data) + show(adverts)
A video app uses what you have watched to suggest more videos so you keep using it → suggested_videos = based_on(watch_history)
free_app = no_data_collected → Free apps are not always free of data collection. Many collect data about you to pay for themselves.
data_shared_with = nobody → Companies can share your data with other companies, such as advertisers, so it does not stay with just one.

Key Term

data collection
Companies track what you do online to learn what you like, show you targeted adverts and keep you using their app or site. Free apps often pay for themselves this way.

Fill in the Blanks

1. likes ← "dog videos" suggest(likes)
Hint: Type the command that offers more videos matching what the user likes.
2. interest ← "football boots" showAdvert(interest)
Hint: Type the variable that decides which targeted advert is shown.
3. appPrice ← 0 IF appPrice = 0 THEN collectData()
Hint: Type the keyword that starts a decision about whether the app is free.
4. data ← collect(userClicks) share(data, partnerCompany)
Hint: Type the command that sends the collected data to another company.
5. WHILE userIsWatching DO suggest(nextVideo) END WHILE
Hint: Type the keyword that keeps repeating as long as the user stays on the app.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A watched = "football videos"
B likes = watched
C suggested = "more " + likes
D print("Up next:" suggested)
Line D — There is a comma missing between the two things inside print(). It should be print("Up next:", suggested). The app uses what you watched to suggest more videos.
Question 2
A app_is_free = True
B if app_is_free
C print("It may track you")
Line B — An if line must end with a colon. It should be if app_is_free: so the message prints for free apps that may collect data.
Question 3
A interests = ["art", "dogs"
B for item in interests:
C print("Ad for", item)
Line A — The list is missing its closing square bracket. It should be interests = ["art", "dogs"]. Companies keep a list of your interests to pick targeted adverts.
Question 4
A data = "your searches"
B company = "ShopApp"
C partner = "AdCo"
D print(compny, "shares", data)
E print("with", partner)
Line D — The variable name is spelt wrong. compny was never created, so it should be company. This shows a company sharing your data with another company.
Question 5
A minutes = 0
B minutes = minute + 15
C print("Tracked:", minutes)
Line B — The variable is minutes, not minute, so the program cannot find it. It should be minutes = minutes + 15. Apps keep adding up how long you spend on them.

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