Foucault's words are almost a one-to-one metaphor for people’s understanding of giving away their data online. When a person accepts cookies, for example, they know what they are doing; they are giving away data. They give the data away because they know it will change their experience somehow. What we have discovered, though, is that people don’t know what happens with their data and how much of it really is collected.

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Our research reviews how people understand personal data online and demonstrates that although people are aware of online privacy, there is less focus on personal data protection due to unclear data collection and exchange processes. This is not surprising as, in Human-Data Interaction terms, this lack of “legibility” is often because the algorithms used in processing the data are the core intellectual property of the companies that use them, so this information cannot easily be made public.

Inspired by Nissen et al’s Trustball installation, where visitors are encouraged to explore alternative models of consent in relation to accepting terms and conditions, we wondered whether turning digital interactions into physical acts might reframe certain choices around privacy.

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The importance of data privacy literacy cannot be overstated. Only when people better understand how other entities use their data can they make informed decisions about sharing it. Increasing this literacy must first come from creating awareness and curiosity. “First and foremost, consumers cannot protect themselves from risks they do not understand. We find a gap between the knowledge users currently have and the knowledge they would need to possess in order to make effective decisions about their online privacy.”

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While it has been argued that raising awareness doesn’t necessarily change behaviour and potentially further entrenches previously held beliefs, data privacy online remains an interesting and important topic that is worth exploring in thought-provoking and interactive environments.