Our Purpose
The DPF helps UK citizens to understand how to navigate the online world safely and to know what to do when their data has been misused.
The internet is complex and it can be difficult to understand how our personal data is used and how to protect ourselves.
Many websites and apps routinely collect our personal data, such as our location, our email address, our face, and our purchase and browsing histories. Our data is collected hundreds of times a day and shared with thousands of companies.
Those companies are usually making money from our data. They capture the data without our consent and in ways that are systemically unlawful.
European and UK data watchdogs agree – they have fined Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and Twitter billions of pounds for their illegal actions but they still carry on.
Our Focus
Children being tracked and targeted in online gaming and by gambling.
Health data being collected illegally.
The tracking and targeting of citizens when they visit political websites.
The collection and use of biometric data, such as facial data in public.
The Impact Of Harmful Content On Teens
We are investigating how harmful content is targeted at vulnerable teens, specifically focusing on self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders.
We are working with parents whose children have been affected by harmful content and with 5Rights, a charity that campaigns for childrens’ online rights.
Bullying For Consent (“Dark Patterns”)
We are working with leading European research institutes on how the use of “dark patterns” is used to trick consumers into consenting to tracking.
We are investigating several websites that use these “dark patterns” using forensic tools that we have developed for the purpose.
Bullying For Consent (“Dark Patterns”)
We are working with leading European research institutes on how the use of “dark patterns” is used to trick consumers into consenting to tracking.
We are investigating several websites that use these “dark patterns” using forensic tools that we have developed for the purpose.
How Websites Can Be Fooled Into Data Abuses
Many charities and political parties are unaware that their websites help third parties track their visitors and then share that information.
We don’t think that addiction support charities or political websites should share your interest in them with anyone else? Do you?