On January 27, a group of14 students in their first year of bachelor´s degree at IES Vega del Prado participated in a digital privacy workshop given by members of the Privacy Engineering Research Group (IngPriv) at the School of Computer Engineering at the University of Valladolid.
The main objective of the session was to introduce students to important concepts such as personal data protection, risks associated with granting permissions in mobile applications, and other aspects related to digital privacy. Throughout the workshop, students learned how to manage permissions when using mobile apps, what type of information they collect, and why it is important to know how to grant or deny permissions in an informed manner.
During the workshop, several practical exercises were carried out and attendees were able to try out APK Falcon, the tool developed by the IngPriv Group to analyze mobile applications and understand their privacy risks. Thanks to this tool, they were able to check what permissions mobile apps request, compare similar applications, and understand the implications of accepting certain access to their personal information.
A guided exercise was also carried out using HTML, in which students learned how to download an image from the browser and then extract its metadata. Through this exercise, it was explained how seemingly harmless files can contain sensitive information such as location, the device used, or the date on which it was created. The aim was to reflect on the unintentional and unnecessary exposure of personal information in digital environments.
These types of activities aim to reinforce the importance of privacy and cybersecurity education among young people, providing students with practical tools to use technology more safety and responsibly in their daily lives.
The session was very well received by both students and teachers, who highlighted the practical, accessible, and educational approach of the workshop. The IngPriv Group would like to thank IES Vega del Prado for its interest and collaboration in this type of initiative on digital privacy.
You can see part of the content of this workshop in the following video.