Just as one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure, one person’s creepy can be another person’s helpful. As Data Privacy Day gets closer, it’s a good time to brush up on your privacy know-how and the importance of protecting personal information.

Entrepreneurs and software developers are finding increasingly high-tech ways to connect you to the world around, but are these new tools helpful – or do they verge on being creepy? Mozilla Webmaker has created a new free tool that could help you decide.

Creep-o-Meter is an activity groups can use to explore their emotional reactions to various forms of tracking by designing their own scales and placing scenario cards along them from green (non-creepy) to yellow (somewhat creepy), all the way to red (creepy). During the activity, either as smaller teams or as a large group, participants can discuss their reactions to each scenario. Which parts felt creepy? Which didn’t? What changes would make the scenario less creepy? Afterwards, participants can describe any challenges, funny moments or interesting things they learned.

Tools and programs like the Creep-o-Meter can help digital citizens be more #PrivacyAware and own their online presence. Remember these STOP. THINK. CONNECT. tips when you use social media, play online games and engage with other technology platforms and tools.

• Share with care: what you post can last a lifetime: Before posting online think about how it might be perceived now and in the future and who might see it.
• Learn about and use privacy and security settings on your favorite online games, apps and platforms.
• Be aware of what’s being shared: Be aware that when you share a post, picture or video online, you may also be revealing information about others. Be thoughtful about when and how you share information about others.
• Personal information is like money. Value it. Protect it.: Be thoughtful about who gets your personal information and how it’s collected through apps and websites.

To learn more about how you can keep yourself #PrivacyAware and educate your family, friends, coworkers and community, visit staysafeonline.org/dpd. You can try the Creep-o-Meter here.

About the Author

Stacy Martin is a senior privacy and engagement manager at Mozilla. In her role, she focuses on privacy education and community development. She has been with Mozilla for 4 years and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional. Stacy holds a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from UC Berkeley and an MBA in marketing from the University of California, Davis.