1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Everything you post, like, share, or leave public on a profile becomes part of your digital footprint. Today you will find out what is already visible about you, tighten privacy settings in your browser, and write down one change you will actually make.
Something Real is your ongoing real-world project for this specialism. Today's audit protects how work-experience contacts, customers, or community partners might see you online, and the habit of checking a source carefully before you trust it is one you will use again later in the course.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Check what a stranger can see about you, using a search in a private browser window and one profile or school or project page
- Change the privacy settings in your browser, and name one right you have over your own data and the menu where you would start
- Decide on one specific change to your footprint that you will make this week
Warm-up
Without opening any app yet: name one platform you use most (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Discord, LinkedIn, YouTube, or something else). In your head, guess whether a stranger could see your full name, your school, your face, or your location from that profile alone. Keep the guess. You will test it in a few minutes.
2 - Key Concepts ~7 mins
Use this table while you build your audit. Your teacher will walk through one short worked example first.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Digital footprint — the trail of information about you that exists online, both what you post and what others post or systems store | People who never met you can still form an opinion from what is public. | A public Instagram tagged photo from a GAA match that shows your full name and school jumper |
| Privacy settings — controls on browsers and apps that limit who can see posts, location, contacts, or site permissions | Defaults often share more than you intend; you choose what stays private. | Switching a TikTok or Instagram account from public to friends-only, or blocking a site from using your microphone in Chrome |
| GDPR rights (Ireland/EU) — legal rights over personal data, including access (what is held about you) and erasure (the right to be forgotten in many cases) | You can ask what is held and, where the law allows, request deletion. | Opening a platform Privacy Centre or Download your information page so you know where to start (no formal request needed in class) |
| Public vs logged-in view — what a stranger sees without an account can differ from what you see when signed in | If you only check while logged in, you miss the real external footprint. | Your LinkedIn looks full when you are signed in, but a private window may show only a limited public profile, or ask a stranger to sign in before much is visible. Record whatever a signed-out viewer actually gets. |
Quick checklist (write these three)
- What can a stranger see without logging in?
- What did my browser still allow (location, mic, camera, cookies)?
- One change I will make this week, and why it matters for my project
Worked example: sample audit layout
Fictional student Aoife Byrne (enterprise pitch project) filled a one-page audit like this. Copy the structure, not the content.
- Platforms I use: Instagram, TikTok, school email, Discord server for the project
- How she checked Instagram: opened a private/incognito window, searched her username, opened the public profile only. She noted: full name in bio; school jumper visible in one tagged photo; location off. She did not open DMs or private stories.
- Publicly visible (checked in a private window): full name on Instagram bio; school mentioned in one TikTok caption; Discord username only
- Browser check: three sites allowed location access; cleared unused site permissions
- One change I will make this week: remove school name from Instagram bio and set new posts to friends-only
- GDPR note: I opened Instagram Settings and found Download your information / Privacy Centre so I know where access would start. I did not submit a formal request in class.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~18 mins
Browser for this lesson: use Google Chrome. If Microsoft Edge is the default on your machine, open Chrome from the Start menu, Dock, Applications, or launcher before you begin so your screen matches the walkthrough.
Follow the browser walkthrough for your device. Your teacher will demonstrate on the classroom screen first (about 8–10 minutes together on Settings, cookies, and site permissions). Then you will carefully check what a stranger might see about you. Use a private or guest window for any name search or public profile check, and stop if anything feels unsafe.
After the browser steps: platform public view (teacher-led, then you try one)
- In a private window (or logged out), open one platform you actually use, or search your username. Look only at what is public: bio, school, location, tagged photos.
- If the platform has View profile as… or a public link, use that. Do not open other people's private content.
- Fallback if you cannot check safely: school email display name, a project cloud link shared as Anyone with the link, or the projected sample only.
4 - Common Issues ~3 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I cannot find Privacy and security in Settings | Use the search box at the top of the Settings page and type privacy. Click the Privacy and security result. Menu labels can shift slightly between Chrome versions. |
| My private window still shows my usual accounts | Confirm the window title says Incognito (or Private). Close normal Chrome windows that are signed into social apps before you judge public results. On a shared school profile, ask the teacher for a guest session instead. |
| Search shows someone else with my name | That is common. Only record results you can clearly link to you (photo, school, local club, known username). Do not claim or investigate strangers. |
| I do not use social media | Audit school email display name, any project cloud link shared as Anyone with the link, and browser site permissions only. Your footprint still includes accounts and files, not just social posts. |
| I am not sure what to write for GDPR | Name access or erasure, then write where you would start (for example Instagram or Google Account → Settings → Privacy Centre / Download your information). Note the menu name only. Do not submit a formal request in class unless your teacher has planned that. |
| A result or old post makes me uncomfortable | Stop the public share. Tell your teacher. Use platform reporting tools if needed, and ask about guidance counsellor support. Your school's guidance counsellor and a trusted adult are the routes to use when content is harmful or illegal; the school will involve the right authority. |
5 - Independent Practice ~17 mins
Independent Practice
Create {{code:sm4_digital_footprint_audit}} inside {{code:Project_Portfolio}} → {{code:09_specialism/sm4}} (Google Docs: that exact name; Word Online: {{code:sm4_digital_footprint_audit.docx}}). If the {{code:sm4}} folder is missing, ask the teacher before you write.
Set your page out the same way as the sample audit you looked at earlier: five headings down the page, a few short factual lines under each, and no screenshots of anyone's private content. Write these five headings and fill them in:
- Platforms I use — list the ones you actually use (or school email / project tools only).
- Publicly visible — what a stranger could reasonably see from your name search and from one platform you checked in a private window (or write "not checked — using school email/cloud link only" and audit that instead).
- Browser privacy finding — one cookies or site-permissions note in plain language.
- GDPR note — name one right (access or erasure) and where you would start on a platform you use (Privacy Centre / Download your information). Do not submit a live request.
- One change this week — what you will do, when, and why it matters for your Something Real project, work experience, or future opportunities.
- {{code:sm4_digital_footprint_audit}} (Docs) or {{code:sm4_digital_footprint_audit.docx}} (Word Online) is saved inside {{code:09_specialism/sm4}} in your {{code:Project_Portfolio}}
- The page names the platforms you use and what a stranger could reasonably see from your browser name search plus one platform check or school/project fallback
- At least one browser privacy or permissions finding is recorded in plain language
- One GDPR right is named with where you would start (no live request required)
- One specific change is written with a when (this week) and why it matters for your project or future opportunities
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