Posting and Sharing Responsibly

Explain what a digital footprint is and how it is formed even when we do not publish anything of our own: think about the searches you make, the pages you visit and the "likes" you leave on other people's content.

Do the exercise of "Googling yourself": imagine what a teacher or an employer would find about you in five years' time if they searched for your name. Describe three types of content you would want to appear and three you would not, and what current habits build that future image.

The figure shows what happens when a person publishes a photo on a platform and tries to delete it the next day.

Based on the figure, explain why deleting the original post does not guarantee that the photo will disappear from the internet, and what that person should have considered before publishing it.

Some apps promise that photos "disappear in 24 hours". Explain why that promise does not guarantee that the photo really disappears (think about screenshots, other devices and platform backups) and what practical conclusion you should draw before sending anything sensitive.

Two individuals request to exercise the "right to be forgotten" before major internet search engines:

• Case A: A 19-year-old requests the de-indexing of a six-year-old news article in which his full name appears for having caused minor damage to his secondary school's furniture.

• Case B: The mayor of a municipality demands the de-indexing of several articles from last month about an open judicial case against her for embezzlement of public funds.

1. a) Reasonably predict which request should be accepted and which rejected, justifying your answer based on the legal limits of this right (public interest, social relevance of the individual, and the right to information).
2. b) In the case where removal is appropriate, explain why de-indexing the news article from search engines is not equivalent to deleting it from the internet, and design the action plan the individual should follow if the search engine ignores their request (which data protection authority to turn to and what parallel action they should take regarding the original website).

In a photo of your desk that you are going to upload, a note with a password can be accidentally seen. Explain why this is a risk even if it looks blurry, what sensitive data you should check before publishing photos or screenshots and what you would do with this photo before uploading it.

An apparently innocent photo in the park can reveal a lot: a school uniform, a house number, a car number plate. Review this described photo and point out three pieces of information it reveals: "selfie in the team jacket, in front of the house doorway with the number visible and my dad's car behind".

Photos store metadata: invisible data such as the date, the cell phone used and, sometimes, the exact GPS coordinates of the location. Explain the risk associated with this data when publishing a photo taken at home and how metadata can be removed before uploading it.

Classify these pieces of content as "safe to share publicly" or "better not to share", justifying each decision: your favorite food, your home address, a photo of your dog, your home Wi-Fi password, the name of your school and your opinion about a movie.

Social networks allow you to choose the audience: public, friends only, or only me. Assign the appropriate audience to these four pieces of content and justify your choice: a family photo at home, a video game trick, your to-do list for the day and a poem you wrote and want to show to everyone.

Tagging a friend in a photo or marking their location is also publishing information about them. Explain why you must ask for permission before tagging other people and what you would do if a friend tags you in something you do not like.

Your friend wants to upload a video of the end-of-year trip to her social network, in which you appear pulling a prank. Explain what image rights you have over your own image, what your friend should do before publishing the video and how you could reach an agreement.

Analyze these three posts and identify the specific risk of each one: (a) the class photo displaying the full names and last names of the whole class, (b) a live "story" showing off an empty house because the family has gone on vacation and (c) a public survey asking which house number each neighbor lives at. Suggest how to share similar content without those risks.

You are added to a neighbourhood chat group where there are people you do not know at all. Explain what changes compared to your friends' group (who sees your photo, your phone number and your messages) and three precautions you would take when participating in that group.

Compare these three types of publishing spaces: a fully public social network, a closed group requiring approval and an "ephemeral" messaging app. Analyse the risks of each for someone your age (real audience, permanence, screenshots) and conclude which content fits in each space.

A viral challenge suggests recording yourself doing something dangerous to get views. Explain what mechanisms drive people to participate in these challenges and draft a set of criteria of two or three questions you should ask yourself before joining any internet challenge.

A chain message is circulating in the group: "no school tomorrow, let everyone know". Explain what responsibility you have when forwarding chain messages even if you did not create them, what three checks you would carry out before sharing it and what you would do if you discover it is fake after having forwarded it.

A student's mistake (breaking a chair) is recorded, uploaded to social media and ends up being commented on by thousands of strangers who ridicule it. Analyse the damage caused by this massive exposure, how it differs from a joke inside the classroom and what witnesses and platforms should do in a case like this.

You discover that someone has created a fake profile using your photos and your name. Describe the steps you would follow: what evidence to save, who to notify first, how to report the profile on the platform and what to do if the fake profile contacts your friends.

An old, embarrassing photo of a person reappears years later shared out of its original context. Analyse why context changes the meaning of a post, what options the affected person has to defend themselves and what lesson this case leaves for your own posts.

A friend tells you, distressed, that private photos of theirs are being spread across chat groups. Design an ordered action plan: what you must NOT do with those photos, how to support your friend, which adults or services to turn to, how to request removal on platforms and when it is appropriate to report it to the authorities.

Design the school's "Before you post" guide: between six and eight check questions that any student should ask themselves (audience, permanence, third-party data, own and others' image) and an example of a post that should be rejected and another that is acceptable, applying the guide to both.

Countering the slogan "think before you post", some argue that "privacy no longer exists, so it doesn't matter what you upload". Argue your position by comparing both ideas and suggest three specific habits for responsible sharing that you would apply starting today.

The school debate club wants to record its sessions and upload some of them to the internet. Draft its publishing policy: what is recorded and what is not, what permissions are requested from participants and families, what platform is used and how a video is removed if someone changes their mind.