An Analytical Essay on Online Privacy

This assignment requires students to write a 1500-word analytical essay on online privacy, discussing various issues such as the definition of digital privacy in Australia, concerns around digital materials, options for ensuring digital privacy, measures to protect users on platforms like Facebook and Google, and the role of legislators and individuals in protecting privacy. The essay must include at least 5 academic references in APA style and provide a reference list at the end.

ASSIGNMENT 1: An Analytical Essay on Online Privacy
This assignment is 1,500 words essay on Online Privacy.
Assignment Objectives
The purpose of the assignment is to help prepare you to:
1. understand some of the important IT privacy concerns encountered by individuals and
organisations dealing with digital materials, particularly the ability to control what information
you reveal about yourself over the Internet, and to control who could access that information;
2. improve your library and research skills in finding relevant materials to an assignment
task;
3. practise correct referencing of researched materials;
4. practise your writing of an opinion piece that incorporates and synthesizes researched
materials.
Deliverables
1. The essay should be about 1500 words. The essay must follow standard academic essay
format with correct usages of vocabularies, grammar and language.
2. This essay should include at least 5 academic references (journal articles and/ or
conference papers).
3. The background case study should provide a good starting point for research.
4. Commence your research for your essay by reading chapters from the text book Quinn
(Chapter 5: Information Privacy & Chapter 6: Privacy and the Government) & Reynolds
(Chapter 4: Privacy).
5. This essay should follow APA referencing style. Do not copy or cut and paste information
from sources. This is plagiarism. Provide in-text references for every source of information.
Provide a Reference List at the end of your essay.
6. You are recommended to complete the assessment in stages:
o Stage 1 (Week 4) – Brain storm – analyzing the question/topic – Draft Mind map
o Stage 2 (Week 5) – Research – Literature review - References
o Stage 3 (Week 6) – Write a Draft
o Stage 4 (Week 7)- Edit and Write Final draft - Final submission

Task details
Online Privacy
Research on two more case studies on online privacy, your essay should include your own
opinion and the following issues in the discussion (not as a question/answer format, but as
an embedded discussion in the essay):
1. What is privacy? What is digital privacy? Describe digital privacy in Australia.
2. What are the issues of concern raised around digital materials?
3. What are the options to consider ensuring digital privacy?
4. What are the measures to ensure users are protected on platforms like Facebook, Google
and iCloud?
5. Do all people need same level of privacy? Do some, who are more vulnerable in some
way, need privacy more than others?
6. Do you believe that our legislators should pass new laws to protect privacy, given the new
technologies and products that now collect information about us?
7. Should individuals bear the responsibility of protecting their own privacy? In your
experience, do most people understand the way in which their information is accessed,
collected, or otherwise used online?
8. Discuss a functional comparison between current privacy law in the European Union and
in the Australia, as such laws relate to the online privacy.
In completing this assignment, you are encouraged to discuss the topic with your
classmates, however, you will submit an individual essay.
Your writing needs to be supported by references. To complete your essay, you will need to
conduct further research online and in the library to address the given questions. The
references need to come from legitimate sources. Each reference needs to be given with an
in-text reference and listed at the end of your essay (not part of your word count). A well
supported essay will include at least 5 references. You must use APA referencing style
correctly and consistently.