Unit 8 · Technology & Future · Lesson 39
Privacy Online
Learn precise language for privacy, tracking and consent. You'll practise the passive for reporting so you can discuss online rights.
Warm-up · §1
5 minGet talking
What do you actually do when a cookie banner appears? Be honest.
One thing an app could do that would make you delete it immediately.
List three companies that probably know your birthday. How did they get it?
Grammar focus · §2
8–10 minThe passive voice for reporting and ethics
Quick rule
Passive = be + past participle. Use it when the DOER is unknown, obvious, or less important than the action.
Pattern builder
Present simple passive
am/is/are + V3
e.g. Your location is tracked constantly.
Past simple passive
was/were + V3
e.g. The data was leaked in June.
Present perfect passive
has/have been + V3
e.g. Millions of accounts have been affected.
Reporting passive
It is said/thought/claimed that…
e.g. It is claimed that consent was informed.
Compare
| Active | Passive | When to use passive |
|---|---|---|
| Someone stole my data. | My data was stolen. | Doer unknown / unimportant |
| The company sells your info. | Your info is sold. | Focus on the receiver |
| Experts say the law is weak. | It is said that the law is weak. | Formal / cautious tone |
Examples
- →
My data was sold to a third party. (agent unimportant)
- →
Users are tracked across websites without clear consent.
- →
The breach was discovered last week.
- →
It is said that most cookie banners break the law.
- →
The account had been accessed three times before I was notified.
Common mistakes
The data was leak yesterday.
✓ The data was leaked yesterday.
Passive uses past participle (V3), not the base form.
My account has hacked.
✓ My account has been hacked.
Present perfect passive needs 'been' + V3.
It is say that the law is weak.
✓ It is said that the law is weak.
Reporting passive still needs V3.
Natural English
News headlines love the passive: 'Millions affected in data breach', 'CEO questioned', 'Law changed after protest'. It moves the story faster.
Deep dive (full explanation)
The passive voice puts the receiver of the action first. It's the default in privacy writing because the doer is often unknown, unclear or unimportant — 'my data was sold' matters more than exactly who sold it.
Question 1.'My data ___ to a third party.'
Question 2.'Your location ___ constantly.'
Question 3.'Millions of accounts ___ affected.'
Question 4.'It is ___ that most cookie banners break the law.'
Question 5.Which is WRONG?
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Quick check 1.'My data ___ to a third party.'
Quick check 2.'Your location ___ constantly.'
Vocabulary · §3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
data
information stored or processed by a computer.
consent
permission for something to happen.
cookie
a small file websites use to track visits.
third party
a company other than the one you signed up with.
breach
a security incident where data escapes.
to leak
for private info to escape unintentionally.
to track
to follow someone's activity or location.
encryption
coding data so only authorised users can read it.
opt in / opt out
actively choose to join / leave a scheme.
targeted ads
advertising based on your personal data.
digital footprint
the trail of data you leave online.
informed consent
permission given with full understanding.
Activate it now
Use each word about your own online life.
- Make it yours#1
Describe your digital footprint in one honest sentence.
digital footprint - Your view#2
Should the default be opt-in or opt-out for data sharing? Why?
opt in / opt outconsent - Rank#3
Rank scariest to least scary: data breach, targeted ads, cookies, location tracking, face recognition.
breachtargeted adscookieto track - Complete#4
Finish: 'The one app I stopped using because of privacy was ___ because ___.'
third partydata - Discuss#5
Is truly 'informed consent' even possible when terms of service are 50 pages long?
informed consent
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · §4
3–4 minPast participles in the passive
In fast speech, '-ed' endings blend into the next word: 'was leaked' → 'wuz-LEAKT'; 'have been tracked' → 'uv-been-TRAKT'. The 'd' often becomes 't' after voiceless sounds.
- was leaked
- have been tracked
- is being stored
- had been accessed
- was hacked
- have been affected
Reading · §5
8–10 minThe Cost of Free
Listen to the passage
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
When a service is free, the joke goes, you're the product. It's a cliché now, but the mechanics are worth understanding. Most 'free' apps are paid for by data — your searches, your location, your habits — collected, packaged and sold to third parties for targeted advertising. Some of this is disclosed in the terms of service that no one reads. That is legally consent. Whether it's INFORMED consent is another question. A twelve-thousand-word document written by lawyers, agreed to with a single tap, is closer to a ritual than a decision. Regulators are catching up. The EU's GDPR gave users the right to see, correct and delete their data — a right that had never really existed before. Similar laws have been passed in dozens of countries. Companies that ignore them are being fined in the hundreds of millions. At the individual level, small habits help. Use different passwords. Turn off ad tracking. Read the summary, not the full terms. And notice which apps ask for permissions they clearly don't need — that's often where the real story lives.
Question 1.How are most 'free' apps paid for?
Question 2.The writer's view on legal 'consent'?
Question 3.What right did GDPR create?
Question 4.What small habit is recommended?
Q1.Legal consent and informed consent are the same thing, per the writer.
Q2.Companies ignoring GDPR have been fined hundreds of millions.
Q3.The writer says individuals cannot do anything.
Listening · §6
8–10 minA conversation about a data breach (about 1:20)
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Zoe:I got an email — my old shopping account has been breached.
Rob:What was leaked?
Zoe:Emails, names, and — apparently — hashed passwords.
Rob:So the passwords were encrypted. That's something.
Zoe:Yeah, but I used the same password on two other sites.
Rob:Change them today. And turn on two-factor if it's offered.
Zoe:Do you think we'll be told who's responsible?
Rob:Probably not. It'll be blamed on a third-party supplier and quietly forgotten.
Zoe:Feels like these things happen every month.
Rob:Because they do. Which is why encryption and different passwords aren't optional anymore.
Question 1.What was leaked from Zoe's account?
Question 2.What is Rob's first practical advice?
Question 3.Who does Rob predict will be blamed?
Question 4.What is Rob's overall view?
Exam skills · §7
5 minStrategy focus — Formal register in Writing Part 2
Task
Reports and formal opinion pieces expect the passive voice, especially when the actor is unclear or when tone should be objective.
Strategy
Use one reporting passive per paragraph: 'It is often claimed that…', 'It has been suggested that…'. This lifts tone from opinion-blog to structured B2 essay.
Example
It is often claimed that data breaches are rare, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Millions of accounts have been affected in the past year alone, and most incidents are blamed on third-party suppliers rather than the companies users trusted directly.
Practice · §8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.My account has ___ hacked.
Question 2.The data ___ leaked in June.
Question 3.It is ___ that most banners break the law.
Question 4.Small text files that track visits = ___.
Question 5.A company you didn't sign up with = a ___ party.
Question 6.Permission given with full understanding = ___ consent.
Q1.Fill: 'The account has b___ accessed.' (present perfect passive)
Q2.Fill: 'Coding data so only authorised users read it' = e___.
Q3.'The trail of data you leave online' = digital f___.
Writing · §9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 130–170 word opinion piece: 'Should governments regulate targeted advertising more strictly?' Use at least FOUR passive constructions and FIVE items of privacy vocabulary.
Your answer
Show model answer
Targeted advertising is now built into almost every free service we use. Data is collected, packaged and sold to third parties, often before users have really understood what they've agreed to. In my view, stronger regulation is overdue. It is often claimed that consent has already been given at sign-up. In practice, terms of service are twelve thousand words long, and informed consent is quietly reduced to a single tap. That isn't consent — it's ritual. Where breaches have happened, blame is usually shifted to a third-party supplier and the company itself is quietly protected. Users, meanwhile, are left with a longer digital footprint and no realistic way to delete it. Regulation like the EU's GDPR has shown what's possible: users are given the right to see and delete their own data, and companies that ignore this are fined heavily. Other countries should follow — not to ban targeted ads, but to make them honest.
Speaking · §10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
ROLEPLAY — Explaining a breach to a friend. Your teacher/partner plays a worried friend: 'I got an email about a data breach. What should I do?' Answer in 60–90 seconds using FOUR passive constructions and FIVE privacy vocabulary items.
Useful phrases
- • Your data has been ___
- • It's usually blamed on ___
- • Passwords should be ___
- • Two-factor should be ___
- • The breach was ___
- • You're entitled to ___
- FriendI got an email — my account has been breached. What now?
- You_______________
- FriendWho's actually responsible?
- You_______________
- FriendDo I have any rights?
- You_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Optional group extensions. ~18 min total
Homework · §11
Take-homeTake it home
Write a 150-word opinion piece on cookie banners using four passive constructions.
Record a 60-second voice note explaining what informed consent means to you.
Write true sentences with: consent, breach, third party, encryption, digital footprint, opt out.
Watch a 3-minute privacy news clip and note two passive constructions used.
Recap · §12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- You can use present, past and perfect passives for reporting.
- You can talk about data, consent, breaches and rights with B2 vocabulary.
- You can argue an ethical position in formal register.
- You're ready for Lesson 40 — 'The Next Decade'.