Why Privacy for College Students? Invasion Risks and Tips

Imagine this: You’re in the library, cramming for finals. Then, you get an email saying: “Hey, the university’s IT department here. We need your login credentials.” You’re caffeinated, so you’re a bit anxious and thought it was real. But it’s not. It’s a classic threat to privacy that happens more than you’d think.

Privacy matters for college students due to the risks of data brokers, data breaches, scams, identity theft, and reputational damage. College students should learn about spotting phishing scams, opt out of data brokers, and use strong passwords.

College is where you get independence (sort of). It's where you shift from a structured environment to one where you should make most decisions for yourself. But what you may not know is that in college, your personal data becomes as vulnerable as your GPA during finals season.

College students actually care about their privacy. According to the EDUCAUSE Center, about one-third of undergraduate students are concerned about how technological advancements will increase the invasion of privacy.

In another survey by AnchorFree, it was found that students in the UK and the US are afraid that their privacy is invaded by school administrators. They also worry about online threats that will compromise their personal data.

With all of this, it’s clear that college students care about privacy. But why? It’s not because they’re paranoid. Remember: It’s not paranoia if it’s true.

There are various reasons why privacy matters for college students.

Data brokers love spying on college students. Your data is currency for them.

For example, schools can share directory information (e.g., name, phone number, address, and dates of attendance) to third parties or data brokers like National Student Clearinghouse, which then sends the data to major credit bureaus like Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. These credit bureaus use student data for background checks, analyzing student loans, and sharing data with other institutions.

These data brokers can also get your personal data from every app you download, the online forms you fill out, and the websites you visit. This is a major problem because most students are unaware of how their data is being handled, which risks inaccurate data and causes financial harm, and lastly, data brokers can get hacked, compromising student data.

Speaking of getting hacked, schools can get breached too, just like what happened to Western Sydney University (and they got breached multiple times).

• SSO Breach (January-February 2025): Hackers compromised the university’s single sign-on system. This allowed them to access personal and academic data of around 10,000 current and former students. WSU acted quickly and said investigations are ongoing.
  
• Dark Web Leak (November 2024, Found in March 2025): Hackers published the stolen data of WSU’s community members on the dark web.
  
• Earlier Breach (Disclosed in May 2024): Hackers accessed WSU’s Microsoft Office 365, emails, and SharePoint files. This affected around 7,500 people and exposed data including names, contact info, health records, bank details, birth dates, and government IDs.

Privacy matters for college students because what they share online, and the information compromised from data breaches can increase their susceptibility.

So, if you’re not being private online, you can expect to be targeted with various scams. The top scams aimed at college students are:

• Fake scholarship offers
• Online shopping scams
• Social media scams
• Fake student loan relief programs
• Fake job listings

These scams can be more personalized and effective with your personal data.

For example, college sophomore Emma got an email. It looked exactly like an official university email. What made it more convincing is that it mentioned her full name, exact course schedule, student ID, and even her FSA ID. The sender told Emma to verify her bank details to avoid scholarship delays. It even signed off with her dean’s name. With all the correct information, Emma thought it was real and sent her bank information.

The catch? It was all fake. With Emma’s bank data, scammers accessed and drained her bank account. This is just one of the many ways scammers can use your information to make their schemes feel real.

Scammers can also use your information to steal your identity.

Here’s an example:

Jason, a college student taking a business course, got denied for a credit card. This was really odd because he never applied for one. So, he checked his credit. Then, he found that someone had already opened four cards in his name. What’s worse is that the fraudster had already racked up thousands of debts.

How did this happen? It’s because Jason had shared his personal information online, and a credit bureau was breached. This highlights why privacy matters for college students.

The last reason why privacy matters for college students is that what you share online can affect your reputation.

That photo you took at a wild party? That might seem so funny now, but future employers or scholarship committees can see that, and affect your chances. Also, a joke you made can be misinterpreted and spiral into an online backlash. The bottom line is, think before you post. Ask yourself: “Is this post for everyone to see? Is it going to affect my reputation?”

You now know why privacy matters for college students; it’s time for the tips. Here are things you can do for your privacy:

• Learn to Spot Phishing: Phishing is one of the top threats to a student’s privacy. So, watch out for red flags such as urgent language, suspicious links, strange email addresses (e.g., w3steRn.edu instead of western.edu), and urgent requests for personal information.
  
• Opt Out of Data Brokers: Remember that data brokers are the crux of the problem. When they get breached, your data gets sold on the dark web, leading to scams and identity theft. Even people search sites, which anyone can use, already list a lot of information about you. So, opt out of them. You just need to identify the data brokers that have your data, find their opt-out page, and then submit a request. It can take time, but it’s worth it. And if you can’t do it alone, you can try MyDataRemoval’s service.
  
• Use Strong Passwords: If hackers can break into big companies, they can hack you, too. So, make sure to use strong passwords. Make it at least 12 characters long, complex (with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters), and unique for every account. You can also use password managers like Bitwarden, which will help you create and store unique, strong passwords.
  
• Activate Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): As an added layer of security, ensure that multi-factor authentication is on. This will help you protect your accounts even if hackers somehow manage to access your password.
  
• Turn Off Location Services: Your apps don’t always need to know where you are 24/7. You don’t want a stalker waiting for you outside your university. So, disable location access on your apps, especially for apps that don’t need it.

To sum it up, while college is about discovering things about yourself, it should be the time when you give away your digital identity.

Take control over your privacy and stay aware. Taking a few precautions for your privacy can save you from serious headaches in the future.

Why is data privacy important for students and teachers?

Privacy matters to students and teachers because data is now important in the digital world. With so many technological advancements, it’s easier for educators and other people to collect and share student data.

How can educators protect student data?

Teachers can protect their students’ privacy by 1) encrypting sensitive information, 2) regularly reviewing data privacy policies, 3) deleting obsolete data regularly, 4) being careful of sharing student records, 5) training school staff, and 6) educating students on privacy.