The UK’s data protection watchdog has warned that retailers can track every move of their customers using their phones and target them using facial recognition software.

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Vast amounts of personal, behavioural and academic data about children are being collected, processed and used by schools, local authorities, and the government every year.

But a recent review by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK of 50 websites and apps used by children found that only a third had “effective controls in place to limit the collection of personal information from children”.

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While there is greater interest than ever before in online privacy there are also calls from some quarters for people who use the web to be fully accountable. This is part of the thinking behind Facebook's real names policy, and it's also what's driven Tim Berners-Lee -- no less than the inventor of the web -- to call for the identities of cyberbullies to be exposed.

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To remind viewers to not use their phones while driving, Volkswagen has unveiled a series of clever ads that uses the logos of popular social media networks. 

The posters feature the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, however their names have been altered to describe what would happen to a driver in a car accident. 

For example, Facebook was changed to “Facebroken”, Instagram became “Instagrave”, while Snapchat turned into “Snapneck”. 

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Think before you share

There may be a starman waiting in the sky, but sadly it isn't in the celestial form of a new stellar arrangement marking David Bowie's passing.

You've probably seen the reports circulating in the wake of Bowie's death -- the man behind Ziggy Stardust, the original space oddity, and one of the most innovative recording artists of all time is now memorialised with a new constellation.

Use examples like this to show students that we should always check accuracy before sharing.

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'We’re not talking about endless photos of your dinner, a running commentary about your gym sessions or the oversharing of how good or bad your latest relationship is going. Here we discuss things that REALLY shouldn’t be on social media or risk serious privacy ramifications.'

Read the article here.