Peer Privacy Protectors Guidebook

The Peer Privacy Protectors Project (PPPP) was created by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association to improve communication and education about privacy rights and risks for youth, who are among the most frequent users of technology in Canada.

Over the course of a year, a group of teens aged 13-19 learned about privacy and how to protect it by attending a series of workshops led by privacy researchers currently or previously funded through the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s (OPC) Contributions Grants Program.  The students met with experts and listened to them speak about privacy research that focused on the priority privacy areas identified by the OPC: Economics of Personal Information; Government Surveillance; Reputation and Privacy; and The Body as Information.

Following each workshop, student participants completed assignments in response to what they had learned. The students’ work then became the basis of a privacy guidebook, ‘by teens, for teens.’ CCLA also consulted with Canadian educators to identify classroom needs for privacy education generally, and obtained informed feedback on the project’s student-developed materials.

Responses from student participants through an anonymous survey upon project completion indicated a marked increase in confidence regarding their understanding of privacy issues and rights as a result of their participation.  Several students also commented that they would be actively sharing the guidebook and lessons learned with their peers and teachers.

The resulting guidebook (which can be downloaded in French and English) and accompanying website is available at PPPP.ccla.org. The PPPP Guidebook will be disseminated widely through the CCLA’s distribution channels in justice-minded organizations and schools across Canada.