Privacy and personal information
Personal information is any detail that could identify you or find you in the real world. Knowing what counts as personal information helps you decide what's safe to share.
Personal information includes things like your full name, your home address, your school's name, your phone number, and exactly where you are right now. Some of it seems harmless on its own, but pieces can add up. Your school's name plus a photo of you in its uniform plus the time you usually leave school could be enough for a stranger to figure out a lot.
What are app permissions?
When you install an app, it often asks permission to use things on your device, like your camera, your contacts, or your location. Sometimes an app genuinely needs that permission to work, like a camera app needing your camera. Sometimes it doesn't, like a simple game asking for your exact location for no clear reason.
It's worth pausing on these requests instead of tapping "allow" automatically, and it's always fine to ask a parent or guardian before agreeing, especially for anything asking for location, contacts or the microphone.
What about sharing my location?
Many apps can show your exact location, sometimes even inside a photo without you realizing it, through information saved with the picture. Sharing your live location tells anyone who sees the post exactly where you are right now, which is very different from sharing where you were yesterday.
A good habit is to turn off location sharing for posts, and to check with a parent about which apps really need your location to work.
With a parent or guardian, sort the following list into "safe to share publicly" and "keep private": your favorite color, your home address, your first name, your school's exact schedule, your favorite book, and your current location.
A simple rule of thumb
Before sharing something, ask: could this help a stranger find me in real life, or figure out when I'm somewhere specific? If yes, it's worth keeping private or sharing only with people you and your family actually know and trust.
- Data
- Any information a computer stores or works with, like numbers, words, photos or sounds.
Why can small pieces of personal information add up to a problem?
Even harmless-seeming details can combine to reveal a lot, like where you go to school and when you're usually there.
Should you always tap "allow" when an app asks for a permission?
No. It's worth pausing to think about whether the app actually needs that permission, and checking with a parent when unsure.
What's a good rule of thumb before sharing something?
Ask whether it could help a stranger find you in real life or know exactly when you're somewhere.
- Personal information includes anything that could identify you or find you in real life.
- App permissions should be checked, not automatically approved.
- Sharing your live location tells people exactly where you are right now.