← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

Data a website records about every visitor

A record a web server makes for every visit, such as the IP address, device type, time and pages viewed, even when the visitor types nothing in.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Digital Footprints and Data Minimisation — Module 13

Understanding Data a website records about every visitor in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

What it does: Just opening a page makes the browser send a GET request. The server logs the page path without the visitor typing anything. Logs record details like the IP address, device type, time and pages viewed. They do not contain private messages. A passive footprint is data collected about you without you choosing to share it. Posting a photo is an active footprint. Servers can record which browser and device a visitor uses. This is part of the log entry. A log line holds the IP address, a timestamp and the page (/home). The server writes it automatically for each visit.

Common mistakes: A log entry with named fields like "ip" and "page" needs a dictionary, so it should be entry = {}. A list cannot use text keys. The device type is text, so it needs quote marks: "Chromebook". Without quotes Python looks for a variable called Chromebook.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 696–726) and word search (Modules 696–770).

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Learning
Duo
A student visits a school website and only reads the home page without typing anything. Does the web server still record the visit?
No, it only records things the visitor types inYes, the server writes a log entry for the visit
Matches
No data is saved unless the visitor fills in a form.
↓
Servers also log the IP address, device, time and pages for every visit, even when nothing is typed in.
Applying
Meanings
Term
server log
Meaning
A record a web server makes for every visit, such as the IP address, device type, time and pages viewed, even when the visitor types nothing in.
Practice
203.0.113.5 [12/Mar/2026 09:15] GET /home Chrome-Windows
Testing
Gaps
visit. = "203.0.113.5"
Check Answer
Spots
1entry = []
2entry["ip"] = "203.0.113.7"

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Quick Questions

1. A student visits a school website and only reads the home page without typing anything. Does the web server still record the visit?
A. Yes, the server writes a log entry for the visit ✓
B. No, it only records things the visitor types in
A web server logs every visit automatically, even when the visitor types nothing in.
2. Which item is usually found in a server log entry?
A. The visitor's IP address ✓
B. The visitor's private messages to friends
Logs record details like the IP address, device type, time and pages viewed. They do not contain private messages.
3. Which one is a passive digital footprint?
A. Posting a photo with your name on a public profile
B. A server log recording your IP address when you load a page ✓
A passive footprint is data collected about you without you choosing to share it. Posting a photo is an active footprint.
4. A log entry says: 'Mobile phone, Chrome browser'. What type of detail is this?
A. The visitor's password
B. Browser and device type ✓
Servers can record which browser and device a visitor uses. This is part of the log entry.
5. A log entry says: '3:42 pm, /sports.html'. What two things does it show?
A. The time of the visit and the page visited ✓
B. The visitor's name and home address
Logs record when a page was viewed and which page it was. They do not automatically hold your name or address.

Match the Pairs

203.0.113.42 - - [12/Mar/2026:09:15:02] "GET /home" → A server log entry showing the visitor's IP address, the time of the visit and the page requested
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; Safari) → The browser and device type that the visitor's device tells the server, which is recorded in the log
A log entry records which page a visitor viewed, even if they type nothing in → GET /shop/shoes.html
A log is a passive digital footprint because the visitor does not choose to create it → 10.0.0.7 visited /news at 14:03
No data is saved unless the visitor fills in a form. → Servers also log the IP address, device, time and pages for every visit, even when nothing is typed in.
A server log only records the page name. → A log entry also records the IP address, the browser and device type, and the time of the visit.

Key Term

server log
A record a web server makes for every visit, such as the IP address, device type, time and pages viewed, even when the visitor types nothing in.

Fill in the Blanks

1. visit.ip = "203.0.113.5"
Hint: Type the short field name for the visitor's address on the internet that the server records automatically.
2. visit.device = "Chrome on Android"
Hint: Type the field name that stores the kind of browser and gadget the visitor is using.
3. visit.time = "2025-03-12 10:15:32"
Hint: Type the field name that stores when the visit happened.
4. visit.page = "/shop/shoes"
Hint: Type the field name that stores which part of the website the visitor looked at.
5. server.log(visit) # even if nothing typed
Hint: Type the function name for the action the server does to record each visit, even when the visitor types nothing.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A entry = []
B entry["ip"] = "203.0.113.7"
C entry["page"] = "/home"
Line A — A log entry with named fields like "ip" and "page" needs a dictionary, so it should be entry = {}. A list cannot use text keys.
Question 2
A entry = {}
B entry["device"] = Chromebook
C print(entry)
Line B — The device type is text, so it needs quote marks: "Chromebook". Without quotes Python looks for a variable called Chromebook.
Question 3
A log = []
B log.add("10:42 /shop")
C print(len(log))
Line B — Lists do not have an add method. To put a new log entry (time and page visited) on the end of the list, use log.append(...).
Question 4
A visits = 0
B for page in pages:
C visits++
Line C — Python has no ++ operator. To count each page view the server logs, write visits += 1.
Question 5
A ip = 203.0.113.7
B time = "09:15"
C print(ip, time)
Line A — An IP address has several dots, so it is not a number. Store it as text with quotes: ip = "203.0.113.7".

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