← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

Risks of collecting and keeping too much data

When data a system holds is stolen or leaked. Data you never collect cannot be breached, so the more you keep, the bigger the risk, including identity theft and misuse.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Digital Footprints and Data Minimisation — Module 26, WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Data Management — Module 103

Understanding Risks of collecting and keeping too much data in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

What it does: Not collecting birthdate and home address means they cannot be stolen in a breach, which shrinks the risk. Using quiz login data to sell to advertisers is a misuse of data for a different purpose than the one it was collected for. A breach means data got out of the system's control, for example through hacking or a leak. The more data a system keeps about you, the more a thief can steal and the bigger the risk. Combined personal details can be used to impersonate someone. This is called identity theft. Holding extra data for no reason adds risk without any benefit.

Common mistakes: The list is called fields, not field, so Python cannot find a variable called field. It should be risk = len(fields). The risk score counts how much data is kept. An if statement must end with a colon. It should be if breached: so the leak message prints when a data breach happens.

Class: _____________________ · Name: _____________________ · Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 728–751) and word search (Modules 696–770).

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Learning

Duo

A school app collects students' home addresses it does not need. Which statement is true?

Extra data is harmless because only the school can see itIf the data is never collected, it can never be breached

Matches

Keep every answer forever, just in case we need it later.

↓

Keeping all data for ever makes the footprint bigger, and a bigger footprint means a bigger risk if there is a breach. Delete data once it is not needed.

Applying

Meanings

Term

data breach

Meaning

When data a system holds is stolen or leaked. Data you never collect cannot be breached, so the more you keep, the bigger the risk, including identity theft and misuse.

Practice

SET data_held TO only_what_is_needed

Testing

Gaps

SELECT , house FROM students;

Check Answer

Spots

1fields = ['name', 'email']

2risk = len(field)

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Quick Questions

1. A school app collects students' home addresses it does not need. Which statement is true?

A. If the data is never collected, it can never be breached ✓

B. Extra data is harmless because only the school can see it

Data that is never collected cannot be stolen or leaked. Collecting only what you need lowers the risk.

2. What is a data breach?

A. When data a system holds is stolen or leaked ✓

B. When a user chooses to delete their own account

A breach means data got out of the system's control, for example through hacking or a leak.

3. Which footprint carries the bigger risk if a website is hacked?

A. A smaller footprint, with only an email address stored

B. A bigger footprint, with lots of stored data about you ✓

The more data a system keeps about you, the more a thief can steal and the bigger the risk.

4. A shop collected your email to send a receipt, then used it to send ads you never agreed to. This is:

A. Misuse of data for another purpose ✓

B. Good data minimisation

Using data for something other than the reason it was collected is misuse. Data minimisation means collecting less.

5. A criminal gets a person's full name, date of birth and address from a breach. What could happen?

A. The data automatically becomes anonymous

B. Identity theft, where they pretend to be that person ✓

Combined personal details can be used to impersonate someone. This is called identity theft.

Match the Pairs

data breach → When data a system holds is stolen or leaked to people who should not have it

identity theft → When a criminal uses stolen personal details, like a name and birthdate, to pretend to be someone else

Data you never collect cannot be breached, so a form that does not ask for it is safer → collect: name, email skip: birthdate, home address

Data collected for one purpose gets misused if it is used for another purpose → collected for: quiz login used for: selling to advertisers

Keep every answer forever, just in case we need it later. → Keeping all data for ever makes the footprint bigger, and a bigger footprint means a bigger risk if there is a breach. Delete data once it is not needed.

Our quiz app asks for phone number, home address and birthdate, because more data is harmless. → More data is not harmless. Each extra item can be stolen in a breach or used for identity theft. The app should only ask for what it needs.

Key Term

data breach

When data a system holds is stolen or leaked. Data you never collect cannot be breached, so the more you keep, the bigger the risk, including identity theft and misuse.

Fill in the Blanks

1. SELECT firstName, house FROM students;

Hint: Type the column that holds a student's given name. Showing only a few columns exposes less data.

2. DELETE FROM students WHERE studentId = 4;

Hint: Type the primary key column that picks out one student row. Data you delete cannot be breached.

3. UPDATE students SET house = 'None';

Hint: Type the SQL keyword that changes values in rows that already exist.

4. =LEFT(A2,1)

Hint: Type how many characters to keep from the left of the name, so only a tiny part of it is stored.

5. SELECT firstName FROM students WHERE yearLevel = 7;

Hint: Type the keyword that filters rows, so fewer people's data is shown.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A fields = ['name', 'email']

B risk = len(field)

C print('Risk score:', risk)

Line B — The list is called fields, not field, so Python cannot find a variable called field. It should be risk = len(fields). The risk score counts how much data is kept.

Question 2

A data = ['name', 'dob']

B breached = True

C if breached

D print('Data leaked')

Line C — An if statement must end with a colon. It should be if breached: so the leak message prints when a data breach happens.

Question 3

A collected = 5

B needed = 2

C extra = collected - needed

D if extra = 0:

E print('Remove extra data')

Line D — A single = assigns a value and cannot be used as a test. To check whether extra data was collected, use a comparison: if extra > 0:. Extra data means extra breach risk.

Question 4

A function risk(num_fields):

B return num_fields * 2

C print(risk(8))

Line A — Python defines a function with the keyword def, not function. It should be def risk(num_fields): so the risk score can be worked out from the number of fields.

Question 5

A SELECT firstName, house

B FROM students

C WHERE points => 100;

Line C — SQL has no => operator. 'Greater than or equal to' is >=, and 'greater than' is >. The fixed line is WHERE points > 100; so the query shows only the rows and fields needed.

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