Information security and privacy
This subject explores different notions of privacy across cultures, provides diverse perspective and challenges student understanding of what is perceived as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.
Context
- Faculty/School: Science discipline subjects
- Number of students: 150+ students
- Year level: Undergraduate
- Curricular/or co-curricular: Curricular
Description
Information Security and Privacy subject explores different notions of privacy across cultures, provides diverse perspective and challenges student understanding of what is perceived as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. In this subject students are given an example of Norway – a country where summary tax information about all citizens is publicly available. Citizens of Norway can get a snapshot each year of their neighbours, celebrities, politicians or business leaders’ financial positions, while in Australia and many other countries, it’s a criminal offense to share such information with the public and culturally tax privacy is considered a basic right. While protecting privacy of information has some significant benefits in keeping a healthy balance between the powerful (state/company etc.) and the less powerful (individual citizens), removal of that privacy via strategic transparency can also engender accountability and trust.
How does this program support IoC aims?
This example shows how a different perspective can be incorporated into the material to challenge the dominant and/or commonly accepted understanding of the concept.
What have students said about this program?
The students find this example interesting and in some cases a little confronting in that it challenges their views about ‘tax information being private is sacrosanct’ if they have been raised in Australia versus ‘well that must hinder corruption’ and ‘I have nothing to hide’ perspectives for those who have been in Scandinavia or other places where there is not individual privacy in the way we know it here. This example provokes engaging discussions among students, and they reference back to it in passing when debating the topic or in their assignments.