Reem Hasebou Terms & Conditions: On Data Consumption, Privacy & Secuirty

Credits
  • Tauira / Student
    Reem Hasebou
  • Kaiako / Lecturer
    Ghalia El Srakbi
  • School
    American University in Cairo
Description:

Terms & Conditions is a classic board game with a twist; covering topics of Data consumption, privacy and security. The aim of this game is to educate players on the tools they use daily and to help them better understand just what is traded in for convenient “free” services. Phones, laptops, & gadgets have become extensions of ourselves and not everyone realizes that the free services they use daily are not at all “free”.

It was created with the intent of producing actionable change. The game comes with four decks of action cards which act as the main propeller of change: Trivia, Fact or Fiction, Check Points, Dare You to. Each deck serves a specific purpose. “Trivia” tests the player’s knowledge of the technologies they use daily & their corresponding terms. “Fact or Fiction” shocks players with the extent to which data is gathered and the ways in which it’s used. “Check points” bring the player’s attention to their current, often the default, phone or application settings. “Dare You to” helps players take the first step for actionable change in terms of protecting themselves, their time and their data. Each Card carries an explanation of why that particular prompt is important and how it affects them, the users. The board and it’s mechanics support the cards with a simple goal of passing the finish line. Players are pushed forward, via the send icon, for going through with a dare and can be pushed back, via the ghost, when their knowledge is lacking.

While the game can, and is encouraged to, be utilized by all ages, the original target audience was that of middle and high school students; thirteen to seventeen year olds. The game allows for a more open conversation on data consumption, privacy and security between family members and friends in a fun and engaging manner. The larger aim of the project was to demystify technology and encourage people to go beyond the default settings. The mechanics thus harness player’s competitiveness to create tangible change in their usage and consumption; which along with the knowledge gathered from the other cards with regards to data can then translate into change with regards to the way they give out and consume data.