hands-on
Workshops
From account security to smartphone privacy: leave with concrete changes and a next step you can actually keep.
// welcome, fellow nerds
Your digital life is bigger than you think.
HardToCrack NL is a practical privacy lab for students. No doom-scrolling, no purity tests: we look at what everyday apps can see, try better choices and talk honestly about where technology should stop.
from question to action4 steps
01
Map itWhat do you use? What can it see?
02
Understand itWhich risks actually matter to you?
03
Try itSettings, alternatives and better habits.
04
Discuss itWhat should we build as a campus?
Privacy is not an exam. It is a skill that gets better by practising — together, with room for uncertainty.
01 — who it is for
From first-years to campus decision-makers.
Students make digital choices before anyone has helped them think about the trade-offs. Meanwhile, privacy conversations often jump straight to extreme threats or technical jargon.
We bring the subject back to everyday life: studying, living together, travelling, collaborating and the apps that connect it all. The same foundation can then grow into deeper sessions with lecturers, researchers, student teams and organisations.
studentsstudent societieslecturersIT & securitypublic debate
00 — the idea
A programme that grows with the campus.
We start with a practical session, but build an editorial home for questions, experiences and disagreement from day one. Every workshop can generate the question for a future debate; every debate can point to a new workshop.
open conversation
Debates
Structured conversations about power, convenience, AI, campus data and who gets to shape the digital environment.
continuity
Resource library
A growing collection of checklists, cases, concepts and tools that remains useful after the event ends.
01 — knowledge base
Not one perfect tool — a better way to look.
These themes form the backbone of the programme. They can stand alone, combine into a half-day or grow into a full semester series.
A/01
Your digital footprint
Accounts, metadata, trackers and data links: make the trails behind ordinary actions visible.
A/02
Your phone as a keyring
Access, recovery codes, notifications, permissions and separate profiles: what happens when your phone disappears?
A/03
Identity & accounts
Passwords, passkeys, 2FA, aliases and single sign-on. Understand convenience without rejecting it by reflex.
A/04
Working together safely
Messages, files, group work and cloud storage: decide what belongs where and how to recover from mistakes.
A/05
AI, profiling & attention
What do systems learn from behaviour, text and images? A grounded session about personalisation, training and power.
A/06
Incidents & recovery
Phishing, loss, doxxing or a leaked password: make a simple plan before the stressful moment arrives.
02 — learn by doing
Workshops that end with a next step.
Each session works on its own. For a university or society, they can become a series with a baseline check, practical changes and a follow-up conversation.
W/01
Start from zero
Map your own digital footprint. Look at apps, accounts, permissions and recovery options — without pretending everyone faces the same risks.
W/02
Secure smartphone
A hands-on session on updates, locks, permissions, backups, separate contexts and privacy-aware communication. Optional deep dive: GrapheneOS.
W/03
Accounts without chaos
Passwords, 2FA, passkeys, alias addresses and recovery codes. Build a priority list and secure at least one important account on the spot.
W/04
Collaborate safely
Design a simple information agreement for a team: what do we share, through which channel, with what access — and what happens after a mistake?
W/05
Threat modelling for everyone
A deeper session for people who want to analyse their situation systematically: who are you protecting, from what, and which measure genuinely helps?
03 — room for disagreement
From “privacy matters” to better questions.
A debate is not a competition to sound the most technical. We make assumptions visible, let different interests speak and end with a concrete question for the campus.
D/01 · 60–75 mincampus & policy
How much convenience is enough?
When is friction a reasonable price for control — and who gets to decide?
Opening question: would we make the same choice if the service were not free?
D/02 · 75 minAI & data
Who owns the campus profile?
From learning platforms to smart access: what data may be collected, and for how long?
Opening question: is consent enough when participation is practically mandatory?
D/03 · 60 minsocial safety
Anonymous: right or risk?
A conversation about anonymity, pseudonymity, moderation and responsibility.
Opening question: can a safe space exist without full identity?
D/04 · 90 mintechnology
Is open source automatically better?
Transparency, audits, maintenance and accessibility: where do ideals meet reality?
Opening question: what evidence should support a privacy claim?
04 — the longer view
From a first session to a lasting learning circle.
The roadmap stays modular. We can create value with one workshop while testing which subjects, partners and formats have the most lasting effect.
PHASE 01 · 0–6 MONTHS
Listen & test
A first TU/e pilot with short feedback after every session.
- 1–2 starter workshops
- one open student roundtable
- checklist and concept library
- refine formats and audiences
PHASE 02 · 6–18 MONTHS
Series & partners
A recurring programme that societies and courses can host.
- 3–5 session workshop series
- themed debate evenings
- train-the-facilitator materials
- collaboration across Dutch campuses
PHASE 03 · 18+ MONTHS
Open network
A European learning circle around practical digital autonomy.
- public resource library
- annual campus week
- case studies and research dialogues
- exchange between cities and countries
05 — next step
Bring a question. Or a whole campus.
The programme gets stronger when it is not made only for students, but with them. Host a workshop, share a case, moderate a debate or help us read critically.
For students & societies
Host a first session, collect questions from your community or help build an evening around one difficult topic.
For courses & organisations
Discuss a workshop series, team session or content partnership with clear goals and feedback built in.
06 — learning outcomes
What we will talk about — and what you will take away.
Every workshop balances a clear explanation with a practical exercise. You do not need to be a security expert: curiosity is the only prerequisite.
theme 01
Digital footprints
We discuss metadata, trackers, account links and “free” services. You will learn to map where your data goes and identify the most important trail to reduce.
theme 02
Phones & permissions
We discuss locks, updates, notifications, sensors and app permissions. You will learn to review a phone deliberately and create safer everyday defaults.
theme 03
Accounts & identity
We discuss passwords, passkeys, 2FA, recovery codes and aliases. You will learn to protect your key accounts and recover them without panic.
theme 04
Private communication
We discuss messaging, group chats, file sharing and cloud storage. You will learn to match the channel to the sensitivity of the information.
theme 05
AI, profiling & consent
We discuss personalisation, training data, attention and power. You will learn to ask better questions before accepting a privacy claim or a default.
theme 06
Incidents & recovery
We discuss phishing, lost devices, leaked passwords and doxxing. You will learn a simple first-response plan and how to improve it after the event.
07 — stay connected
A quiet signal when something useful is happening.
Get the first workshop date, new debate prompts and the pilot checklist. No daily marketing — just relevant updates.