Privacy Awareness Week: Smart Tech, Smarter Choices – protect your privacy in the age of AI
Generative artificial intelligence is no longer on the horizon, it’s already woven into how we study, work and communicate. Tools like ChatGPT use machine learning to generate text, images and ideas at speed. Powerful? Absolutely. Private? Not always.
That’s where Privacy Awareness Week comes in. Running from Monday 4 to Sunday 10 May 2026, the annual campaign is a reminder that privacy isn’t old‑fashioned, it’s essential. This year’s theme, Smart Tech, Smarter Choices: protecting your privacy in the age of AI, invites us to pause before we click, share or prompt.
Because once information is out there, it can travel further than you expect.
Why privacy still matters
Every time you share personal details online, your name, date of birth, job title, photos or videos, you leave a digital footprint. In the wrong hands, that footprint can be used for identity theft, impersonation or scams that target your friends, family or colleagues.
It’s not only cyber criminals you need to think about. Companies, advertisers and public AI tools often store the information you provide, and in some cases may reuse, distribute or sell it. What feels like a casual interaction can quietly become part of a much larger data ecosystem.
The good news? You’re not powerless. A few considered choices can significantly reduce how much information you give away.
Three simple ways to make smarter choices
1. Share with intention
Before you upload, post or enter information into an app, website or AI tool, ask yourself:
- Is this personal, private or related to research?
- Does it include information about someone else?
- Do I know how this information will be stored, used or shared?
As a rule of thumb, never enter personal details, health information, confidential or research data, or other people’s information, into public AI tools. It’s safest to assume anything you type into a genAI tool is not private.
2. Use generative AI responsibly
Make sure you understand what’s acceptable when using AI at Deakin, and take advantage of Deakin GEM, Deakin’s approved AI tool.
Deakin GEM is designed to give you equitable access to AI in a controlled environment, with safeguards that support academic integrity, ethical use and responsible learning. You can learn more in Deakin’s guide to using AI responsibly in your studies.
3. Lock down your accounts and devices
Privacy doesn’t exist without security. A few simple habits go a long way:
- Use single sign‑on where available and never reuse passwords across study, work and personal accounts
- Create strong, unique passphrases and always turn on multi‑factor authentication
- Secure your devices with a PIN, passcode or biometrics, and keep them up to date
- Review app permissions for location, camera, microphone, contacts and photos
- Check the privacy settings of apps and AI tools (including whether your data is used for training)
- Set social media profiles to private where appropriate and delete old accounts or apps you no longer use
It’s also worth spending a few minutes auditing social media privacy settings — limiting who can see your profile details, posts and location, and checking which devices and apps are connected to your accounts.
Want to dig deeper?
- eSafety’s advice on protecting yourself from identity fraud.
- Deakin’s guide to understanding the risks and limitations of generative AI.
- Australian Government resources on securing social media and protecting personal information online.
Privacy isn’t about avoiding technology it’s about using it wisely. This Privacy Awareness Week, take a moment to review your settings, think before you share, and make smarter choices when using AI, apps and online services.