Section outline

  • Course description

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    This is a free course designed over five steps that can be taken one step at a time, or all steps completed within two hours.

    The course is designed to assist the general public with understanding of ‘personal data’ and our rights to privacy online.

    Our data is collected across the Internet through digital technologies in websites, and in apps (software programmes on mobile devices). These technologies include cookies, small text files placed on desktop computers, laptops or smart devices (tablets, mobile phones) when you visit a page on the Internet. Cookies can include digital trackers, such as tracking the precise location of your device. App settings can have permissions to access your contacts, your camera, your messages, microphone and other data on your mobile devices. The location of a device can personally identify a person who uses or owns the device, so its tracking has data protection and privacy implications.

    By the end of this course, this course will benefit you as a learner by:

    -       being able to understand privacy and its historical context;

    -       recognising what ‘personal data’ is;

    -       identifying the ways personal data is collected across the Internet, including through tracking cookies in websites;

    -       learning about the regulations that grant us rights to privacy online;

    -       gaining knowledge about free online tools that help you explore beneath websites and apps, and turn off tracking technologies.

    In summary, you will gain valuable knowledge about human right to privacy and  practical skills to stop your data being collected across the Internet without your consent.

    Click here to enrol in this course and use enrolment key CSICOP to do so. Once you enrol you will be able to take quizzes and receive a badge upon successful course completion. You will also be able to claim a CSI-COP Certificate upon completion of the course.

  • Welcome to 'Your Right to Privacy Online'

    Welcome to CSI-COP project's free informal education course Your Right to Privacy Online.

    My name is Huma Shah and I am an Assistant Professor at Coventry University, UK where I teach 'Artificial Intelligence, Creativity and Ethics'.  I direct the science around online privacy in an EU funded project, CSI-COP.  My colleague, Jaimz Winter is the Creativity Manager on CSI-COP and you will see some of his graphics created especially for this course throughout the steps. The international team on CSI-COP are from eleven organisations across ten countries  - please see the EU funder's page here:

    https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/873169

    CSI-COP has already created a privacy-by-design, no-tracking project website here: https://csi-cop.eu/

    You can see the rest of the CSI-COP team on this page here: https://csi-cop.eu/our-team/

    In summary
    On completing this course on 'Your Right to Privacy Online' you will gain valuable knowledge about human right to privacy and  practical skills to stop your data being collected across the Internet without your consent.

    Any questions
    We have prepared some answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on CSI-COP's website page here:

    If you have any other questions, or want to chat to us before starting this informal education course please do contact:

    Huma Shah on email ab7778@coventry.ac.uk - or
    Jaimz Winter, CSI-COP's Creativity Manager on email: ad5956@coventry.ac.uk

    Get started by pressing the " Introduction to 'Your Right to Privacy Online' " lesson below 

  • STEP 1: Privacy and its different aspects

    This step will introduce the concept of Privacy.

    The learning outcome from step 1 in 'Your Right to Privacy Online' course is:

    • Describe and discuss the different aspects of privacy.

  • Step 2: Data and personal data

    Recap: in Step1 we were introduced to the concept of ‘privacy’ 

    In step 2 of CSI-COP’s informal education course you will come to understand ‘what data is’, and ‘what data about you’ is involved in different aspects of your online life: from shopping online to messaging friends, to searching for information.

    The learning outcome in step 2 is to strengthen your understanding of privacy by looking at data and personal data:

    • Describe and discuss the different aspects of privacy


  • Step 3: Online Tracking

    To recap what we learnt in the previous two steps:

    ·      In step1 we were introduced to the concept of ‘privacy’

    ·      In step2 we learnt that ‘personal data’ refers to a natural (living) person


    In this step we will learn about the different online tools that collect data as we use the Internet.

    There are two learning outcomes for step 3 in 'Your Right to Privacy Online' to strengthen your understanding of privacy and data:

    1. Describe and discuss the different aspects of privacy;

    2. Identify and evaluate the way personal data is collected whilst navigating the web and using apps on smart devices.

    This step will help you to gain an understanding about online tracking.


  • Step 4: Your right to data protection and privacy

    In this fourth step to 'Your Right to Privacy Online' course you will gain the following three learning outcomes:

    1. Describe and discuss the different aspects of privacy.

    2. Identify and evaluate the way personal data is collected whilst navigating the web and using apps on smart devices.

    3. Understand the rights to privacy arising from charters to protect our data.


    By the end of step 4 you should be able to answer the question:

    What rights do I have to privacy ? and Understand three main codes that grant us rights to privacy.

    To recap what we have learnt so far:

    ·      In step1 we were introduced to the concept of ‘privacy’

    ·      In step2 we learnt that ‘personal data’ refers to a living person

    ·      In step3 we learnt about some of the ways our data can be captured online (e.g. though cookies)

    In this step we will explore ‘human rights’.

  • Step 5: Tools to protect your data and privacy

    In this fifth and final step in the 'Your right to privacy online' course you will gain these three learning outcomes:

    1: Describe and discuss the different aspects of privacy.

    2. Identify and evaluate the way personal data is collected whilst navigating the web and using apps on smart devices.

    3. Understand the rights to privacy arising from charters to protect our data.

    This step will also provide an opportunity to gain experiential learning: learn through exploring websites you visit, and apps you use, to find what digital trackers, if any, are in those websites and apps.

    To recap what we have learnt so far:

    ·      In step1 we were introduced to the concept of ‘privacy’

    ·      In step2 we learnt that ‘personal data’ refers to a living person

    ·      In step3 we learnt about some of the ways our data can be captured online (e.g. through cookies)

    ·      In step4 we learnt about the different charters and regulations that give you right to privacy

    In this step we will find out what tools are available online to protect our data and our privacy.

  • Assess your learning and claim your CSI-COP certificate

    Thank you very much for completing the course. We hope you enjoyed your learning about 'Your Right to Privacy Online'.

    To assess your learning, and to gain a CSI-COP informal education certificate, please answer the ten questions in the 'Access your learning' tab below and return to either Huma or Jaimz in CSI-COP team at Coventry University at the emails below:

    Huma on ab7778@coventry.ac.uk or

    Jaimz on ad5956@coventry.ac.uk

    You can also find out more about joining the project as a citizen scientist to investigate the extent of online tracking. It is a worth while experience and only takes a small amount of your time to help us. Please click on the 'Becoming a CSI-COP Citizen Scientist' tab to find out more information.

    If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Huma or Jaimz. We have prepared some answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) which you can find on CSI-COP's website here: https://csi-cop.eu/faq/

    You can also learn more by visiting the CSI-COP website 'About' page here: https://csi-cop.eu/about