What’s an algorithm?
Area
Math
Duration
1 session
Dimension of the advised group of students
One group of 20-30 people divided in small groups
Specific objectives
- To understand how math is integrated in our lives
- To learn how and why internet platforms collect and use personal data
- To understand the commercial value of data
- To learn strategies to control the collection of data and the impact of algorithms on
online experience
- To reflect on the impact of data collection and algorithms in our lives and on
society and what governments and/or corporations should do to change things
Needed Materials
- Video
- Slideshow
- Photocopies
If the training is organized online one communication platform will be necessary.
Software
- One online communication platform, such us: Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, etc.
- In person, no software is needed.
Description
An algorithm is a method of solving problems both big and small. Though computers run
algorithms constantly, humans can also solve problems with algorithms. Algorithms are the
basis of social media, but data collection for better usage experiences has become a
contentious point.
Social media users’ concerns about their privacy have spiked in recent years. Incidents of
data breaches have alarmed many users and forced them to rethink their relationships to
social media and the security of their personal information. The dramatic story of the
consulting agency Cambridge Analytica is a case in point. The firm exploited the private
information of over 50 million Facebook users to influence the 2016 American presidential
election. This example and others have steadily deteriorated public trust and resulted in
many users wondering if they have lost control over their own data.
These growing privacy concerns have prompted advocacy for tighter regulations. In
addition, they have placed companies responsible for safeguarding personal data under greater scrutiny. Given today’s social media privacy issues and concerns, skilled
cybersecurity professionals will play a vital role in protecting social media users’ data and
personal information. The activities contained here aim to make youngsters aware of their
online presence and its dangers.
Procedure on how to put in practice
dangers.
Procedure
on how to
put in
practice
Duration: 60 minutes
No of participants: small groups
Methods used: group discussion, collaborative work
Competences developed: critical thinking, logical thinking
Step-by-step description:
1. Watch TED-Ed video about how algorithms and complete comprehension questions
in pairs.
2. Discuss in groups: What's something that you did today that could be described in
the form of an algorithm? In real life, why do you think people tend to count by 1s
and 2s but not by 3s?
3. Ask participants how many of them have accounts on social media. Then ask them
if they know how social networks like Instagram, Snapchat, etc., make money.
4. Show them a fictional Instagram profile and ask participants to draw conclusions
about that person based on their profile.
5. Then show them what the profile looks like to the company that owns the social
media platform and ask them to answer the same questions.
6. Tell participants that they’re going to try to look at their own online presence.
Distribute the assignment sheet Mapping Your Data Profile and have them create a
mind map with one of their social network accounts in the middle. Ask them to add
at least five “branches” representing different kinds of data the platform knows
about them. Next, have them draw a third layer that represents broader
conclusions about them (ethnicity, interests, etc.) connected to one or more of the
kinds of data. Partner them with someone else and ask them to try to identify what
the platform might know about them based on liking their two profiles together.
7. In groups, discuss how you feel about how much platforms know about them.
Debriefing question: What do they think platforms or governments should do to limit the
h arm done by data collection and algorithms?
