IELTS Reading: Challenges of Ensuring Digital Privacy – Đề thi mẫu có đáp án chi tiết

Mở bài

Trong kỷ nguyên số hóa bùng nổ, vấn đề bảo vệ quyền riêng tư trực tuyến đã trở thành một trong những thách thức lớn nhất của xã hội hiện đại. Chủ đề “Challenges Of Ensuring Digital Privacy” không chỉ là vấn đề nóng hổi trong thực tiễn cuộc sống mà còn thường xuyên xuất hiện trong các đề thi IELTS Reading với tần suất ngày càng tăng, đặc biệt trong giai đoạn từ 2020 đến nay.

Bài viết này cung cấp cho bạn một bộ đề thi IELTS Reading hoàn chỉnh gồm 3 passages với độ khó tăng dần từ Easy đến Hard, bao gồm 40 câu hỏi đa dạng giống như thi thật. Bạn sẽ được luyện tập với các dạng câu hỏi phổ biến như Multiple Choice, True/False/Not Given, Matching Headings, và nhiều dạng khác. Mỗi câu hỏi đều có đáp án chi tiết kèm giải thích cụ thể về cách paraphrase và vị trí thông tin trong bài.

Đặc biệt, bài viết cung cấp hệ thống từ vựng quan trọng theo từng passage, kèm phiên âm, nghĩa tiếng Việt, ví dụ và collocation giúp bạn mở rộng vốn từ học thuật. Bộ đề này phù hợp cho học viên có mục tiêu từ band 5.0 trở lên, giúp bạn làm quen với chủ đề công nghệ – một trong những chủ đề “hot” nhất của IELTS Reading hiện nay.

Hướng dẫn làm bài IELTS Reading

Tổng Quan Về IELTS Reading Test

IELTS Reading Test kéo dài 60 phút cho 3 passages với tổng cộng 40 câu hỏi. Điểm đặc biệt là bạn KHÔNG có thêm thời gian để chuyển đáp án sang phiếu trả lời, do đó việc quản lý thời gian là cực kỳ quan trọng.

Phân bổ thời gian khuyến nghị:

• Passage 1: 15-17 phút (độ khó Easy)
• Passage 2: 18-20 phút (độ khó Medium)
• Passage 3: 23-25 phút (độ khó Hard)

Lưu ý dành 2-3 phút cuối để kiểm tra lại đáp án, đặc biệt là chính tả cho các câu điền từ.

Các Dạng Câu Hỏi Trong Đề Này

Đề thi mẫu này bao gồm 7 dạng câu hỏi phổ biến nhất trong IELTS Reading:

1. Multiple Choice – Chọn đáp án đúng từ A, B, C, D
2. True/False/Not Given – Xác định thông tin đúng, sai hay không được đề cập
3. Yes/No/Not Given – Xác định quan điểm của tác giả
4. Matching Headings – Nối tiêu đề phù hợp với đoạn văn
5. Summary Completion – Hoàn thành đoạn tóm tắt
6. Matching Features – Nối thông tin với đặc điểm tương ứng
7. Short-answer Questions – Trả lời câu hỏi ngắn

Mỗi dạng câu hỏi yêu cầu kỹ năng đọc hiểu khác nhau, từ scanning (quét thông tin) đến skimming (đọc lướt hiểu ý chính) và detailed reading (đọc kỹ chi tiết).

IELTS Reading Practice Test

PASSAGE 1 – The Evolution of Digital Privacy Concerns

Độ khó: Easy (Band 5.0-6.5)

Thời gian đề xuất: 15-17 phút

The concept of privacy has undergone dramatic transformations since the advent of the digital age. In the early days of the internet, during the 1990s, privacy concerns were relatively limited and straightforward. Users worried primarily about basic issues such as unsolicited emails and simple forms of identity theft. However, as technology has advanced and our lives have become increasingly intertwined with digital platforms, the landscape of privacy challenges has become far more complex and multifaceted.

The first major shift occurred with the rise of social media platforms in the mid-2000s. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram encouraged users to share personal information, photos, and thoughts with unprecedented openness. While these platforms brought people together and created new forms of social connectivity, they also introduced significant privacy risks. Users often failed to understand that once information was posted online, it could be permanently accessible and potentially misused by various parties, including advertisers, employers, and even malicious actors.

Data collection practices have become increasingly sophisticated over the past two decades. Modern websites and applications employ various tracking technologies such as cookies, pixel tags, and device fingerprinting to monitor user behavior across the internet. These technologies enable companies to build comprehensive profiles of individuals, including their browsing habits, purchasing preferences, location data, and even personal relationships. This level of surveillance occurs largely without users’ explicit awareness or informed consent, creating what privacy advocates call a “surveillance economy.”

The proliferation of smartphones has added another layer of complexity to digital privacy challenges. These devices collect vast amounts of data about their users, including real-time location information, health metrics through fitness apps, communication patterns, and personal photographs. Mobile applications often request extensive permissions to access device features and personal data, yet many users grant these permissions without fully understanding the implications. Research has shown that the average smartphone user has approximately 80 apps installed, each potentially collecting and sharing personal information with multiple third parties.

E-commerce platforms represent another significant source of privacy concerns. When individuals shop online, they provide sensitive information including credit card details, shipping addresses, and purchasing histories. Companies use this data not only to process transactions but also to create detailed consumer profiles for targeted advertising and predictive analytics. Some retailers have become so adept at analyzing customer data that they can predict major life events, such as pregnancies, based on purchasing patterns.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has introduced entirely new categories of privacy risks. Smart home devices such as voice-activated assistants, connected thermostats, and security cameras continuously collect information about households and their inhabitants. These devices can potentially record private conversations, track daily routines, and even monitor physical movements within homes. The data collected by IoT devices often flows to cloud servers controlled by manufacturers, raising questions about data security and third-party access.

Government surveillance has also emerged as a major digital privacy concern. Following revelations by whistleblowers about extensive government monitoring programs, public awareness has grown regarding the scale of state-sponsored surveillance. Many governments now possess sophisticated capabilities to monitor citizens’ online activities, intercept communications, and access personal data stored by technology companies. This surveillance is often justified as necessary for national security, but critics argue it represents an unwarranted intrusion into private life.

Educational institutions and workplaces increasingly monitor digital activities, creating privacy challenges in these spheres as well. Schools track students’ online learning activities and social media presence, while employers monitor employee emails, computer usage, and sometimes even physical locations through company devices. This institutional surveillance raises questions about the appropriate balance between organizational interests and individual privacy rights.

Despite growing awareness, many individuals struggle to protect their digital privacy effectively. Privacy settings on platforms are often complex and deliberately obscure, making it difficult for average users to control their information. Additionally, the convenience offered by digital services frequently leads people to accept privacy trade-offs without fully considering the long-term consequences. Privacy experts emphasize the need for both individual vigilance and stronger regulatory frameworks to address these evolving challenges.

Questions 1-13

Questions 1-5: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

1. According to the passage, privacy concerns in the 1990s were
   A. more complex than today’s concerns
   B. mainly focused on basic internet issues
   C. related to social media platforms
   D. primarily about government surveillance

2. Social media platforms in the mid-2000s
   A. discouraged sharing of personal information
   B. had strong privacy protection systems
   C. created new opportunities for connection but also privacy risks
   D. were only used by privacy-conscious individuals

3. The “surveillance economy” refers to
   A. government monitoring of citizens
   B. data collection that occurs without proper user awareness
   C. the cost of privacy protection services
   D. economic benefits of social media

4. According to the passage, smartphone users
   A. typically have around 80 apps installed
   B. always understand app permissions
   C. refuse to share location information
   D. only use apps with strong privacy policies

5. E-commerce companies use customer data to
   A. only process transactions
   B. create consumer profiles and predict behavior
   C. share with government agencies
   D. reduce product prices

Questions 6-9: True/False/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

Write:

• TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
• FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
• NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

6. Privacy concerns were easier to understand in the early days of the internet than they are today.

7. Most social media users in the 2000s fully understood the long-term implications of posting personal information online.

8. Smart home devices never record private conversations.

9. Educational institutions monitor students’ online activities more than employers monitor their workers.

Questions 10-13: Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

10. Modern tracking technologies enable companies to create __ of individual users.

11. IoT devices often send collected data to __ controlled by manufacturers.

12. Government surveillance is frequently defended as necessary for __.

13. Privacy settings on digital platforms are often __ and difficult for typical users to navigate.

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PASSAGE 2 – Technical and Legal Frameworks for Digital Privacy Protection

Độ khó: Medium (Band 6.0-7.5)

Thời gian đề xuất: 18-20 phút

The challenge of protecting digital privacy has prompted the development of various technical solutions and legal frameworks designed to safeguard personal information in the online environment. However, the implementation and effectiveness of these measures remain subjects of considerable debate among policymakers, technology experts, and civil liberties advocates. Understanding both the capabilities and limitations of current privacy protection mechanisms is essential for navigating the complex landscape of digital information security.

From a technical perspective, encryption represents one of the most fundamental tools for protecting digital privacy. End-to-end encryption ensures that messages and data can only be read by the intended recipient, preventing even service providers from accessing the content. While this technology has become more widespread in messaging applications and email services, its adoption faces significant obstacles. Some governments have advocated for “backdoors” in encryption systems, arguing that law enforcement needs access to encrypted communications to prevent criminal activity and terrorism. Privacy advocates, however, contend that such backdoors would inevitably be exploited by malicious actors, fundamentally undermining the security they are meant to provide.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) offer another technical approach to enhancing digital privacy. By routing internet traffic through encrypted tunnels and masking users’ IP addresses, VPNs make it more difficult for third parties to track online activities. Despite their benefits, VPNs are not foolproof privacy solutions. The VPN provider itself can potentially access user data, and sophisticated tracking techniques can sometimes circumvent VPN protection. Moreover, the quality and trustworthiness of VPN services vary considerably, with some free services actually collecting and selling user data, defeating the very purpose for which they are employed.

Công nghệ mã hóa và VPN bảo vệ quyền riêng tư trực tuyến trong môi trường số

Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) encompass a broader category of tools designed to minimize personal data collection while maintaining functionality. These include techniques such as differential privacy, which adds statistical noise to datasets to protect individual identities while preserving overall patterns, and homomorphic encryption, which allows computations on encrypted data without decrypting it. While promising, many PETs remain in experimental stages or face practical implementation challenges that limit their widespread deployment. The computational overhead associated with some of these technologies can also impact system performance, creating trade-offs between privacy and efficiency.

On the legal front, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), implemented in 2018, represents the most comprehensive privacy legislation to date. The GDPR establishes strict requirements for how organizations collect, store, and process personal data, including provisions for explicit consent, the right to access personal information, and the right to be forgotten. Organizations that violate GDPR provisions face substantial fines reaching up to 4% of annual global revenue. The regulation has had extraterritorial effects, influencing privacy practices worldwide as multinational companies adapt their operations to comply with its stringent standards.

However, the GDPR’s implementation has revealed certain limitations and challenges. The regulation’s complexity has created significant compliance burdens, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises that lack dedicated legal and technical resources. Some critics argue that the GDPR’s consent mechanisms have led to “consent fatigue,” where users routinely click through privacy notices without meaningful engagement, thereby failing to achieve the regulation’s intended purpose of empowering individuals. Additionally, enforcement has been uneven across EU member states, with some national data protection authorities more proactive than others.

Similar to how blockchain technology is improving digital identity verification, the United States has taken a more sectoral approach to privacy regulation, with different laws governing specific industries rather than a single comprehensive framework. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), effective from 2020, represents the most ambitious state-level privacy legislation in the US, granting California residents rights similar to those under GDPR. Other states have since enacted their own privacy laws, creating a patchwork of regulations that complicates compliance for businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions.

The absence of a federal privacy law in the United States reflects ongoing tensions between various stakeholders. Technology companies often resist stringent regulations, arguing they would stifle innovation and economic growth. Civil liberties organizations push for robust protections, while law enforcement agencies express concerns that strong privacy measures could impede criminal investigations. This multifaceted debate has prevented consensus on national privacy legislation, leaving Americans with fragmented protections that vary significantly depending on where they live and which services they use.

International data transfer mechanisms present additional legal challenges for digital privacy protection. Organizations frequently need to transfer personal data across borders for legitimate business purposes, but differences in privacy laws between jurisdictions create legal uncertainties. The invalidation of the EU-US Privacy Shield framework by the European Court of Justice in 2020 highlighted these tensions, requiring companies to find alternative legal bases for transatlantic data flows. Such developments underscore the difficulty of maintaining consistent privacy protections in an interconnected global digital economy.

Looking forward, emerging technologies such as the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare and machine learning pose new challenges for privacy frameworks. These technologies often require large datasets for training, potentially conflicting with data minimization principles central to privacy protection. Algorithmic decision-making raises concerns about transparency and accountability, as individuals may not understand how their personal information influences automated decisions affecting their lives. Addressing these challenges will require adaptive frameworks that can accommodate technological innovation while maintaining meaningful privacy protections.

Questions 14-26

Questions 14-18: Yes/No/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the passage?

Write:

• YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
• NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
• NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

14. End-to-end encryption is a completely secure method that can never be compromised.

15. Free VPN services may actually harm user privacy rather than protect it.

16. Privacy-enhancing technologies are ready for immediate widespread implementation.

17. The GDPR has influenced privacy practices beyond Europe.

18. All EU member states enforce GDPR regulations with equal rigor.

Questions 19-23: Matching Headings

The passage has nine paragraphs (Paragraphs 1-9). Choose the correct heading for paragraphs 5-9 from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-x.

List of Headings:

• i. The problem of inconsistent enforcement
• ii. Encryption’s role in privacy protection
• iii. Future challenges from artificial intelligence
• iv. America’s fragmented approach to privacy law
• v. The most comprehensive European privacy regulation
• vi. The difficulties of international data transfers
• vii. Technical limitations of VPN services
• viii. The debate over national privacy legislation
• ix. Privacy-enhancing experimental technologies
• x. The effectiveness of consent mechanisms

19. Paragraph 5 __
20. Paragraph 6 __
21. Paragraph 7 __
22. Paragraph 8 __
23. Paragraph 9 __

Questions 24-26: Summary Completion

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

The GDPR has established strict requirements for data handling, but its complexity has created 24. __ especially for smaller businesses. Some critics believe the regulation’s consent requirements have resulted in 25. __, where users approve privacy notices without proper consideration. Meanwhile, enforcement remains **26. __ across different European Union countries.

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PASSAGE 3 – Societal Implications and the Future of Digital Privacy

Độ khó: Hard (Band 7.0-9.0)

Thời gian đề xuất: 23-25 phút

The discourse surrounding digital privacy transcends mere technical or legal considerations, encompassing profound societal ramifications that challenge fundamental assumptions about individual autonomy, social structures, and the distribution of power in contemporary society. As digital technologies become increasingly ubiquitous and sophisticated, the erosion of privacy threatens to fundamentally alter the relationship between individuals and institutions, with far-reaching consequences for democratic governance, social equality, and human dignity. Understanding these broader implications requires examining not only the immediate threats to privacy but also the subtle, systemic ways in which privacy degradation reshapes social norms and power dynamics.

The phenomenon of “surveillance capitalism,” a term coined by scholar Shoshana Zuboff, describes an economic paradigm in which human experience is transformed into behavioral data that is then used to predict and influence future behavior. This system operates through asymmetric power relationships: corporations possess unprecedented information about individuals while remaining largely opaque in their own operations. The predictive analytics derived from this data enable micro-targeted manipulation of consumer behavior, political opinions, and even emotional states. Critics argue that this represents a qualitatively new form of power that operates through behavioral modification rather than coercion, raising questions about free will and authentic choice in an algorithmically mediated environment.

The psychological impact of pervasive surveillance extends beyond immediate privacy violations to affect fundamental aspects of human behavior and self-conception. The awareness of being monitored creates what scholars describe as a “chilling effect,” whereby individuals self-censor and modify their behavior to conform to perceived norms, even in the absence of explicit threats or sanctions. This internalization of surveillance parallels the panopticon concept developed by philosopher Michel Foucault, where the possibility of observation alone becomes a mechanism of social control. Research in social psychology suggests that constant surveillance may erode authentic self-expression, inhibit creative risk-taking, and diminish the capacity for dissent and nonconformity essential to vibrant democratic societies.

Ảnh hưởng tâm lý của giám sát số đối với hành vi cá nhân và xã hội đương đại

The democratization of surveillance technologies has created new categories of privacy threats that operate at the interpersonal and community levels. Affordable surveillance devices, facial recognition applications, and social media monitoring tools enable not only governments and corporations but also ordinary individuals to monitor others. This distributed surveillance creates what some researchers term “lateral surveillance” or “sousveillance,” fundamentally altering social relationships and community dynamics. The normalization of mutual monitoring may corrode social trust and create environments where individuals feel compelled to curate their public personas continuously, potentially exacerbating existing social pressures regarding conformity and performance.

Algorithmic discrimination represents another critical dimension of digital privacy concerns with significant societal implications. As machine learning systems increasingly mediate access to opportunities and resources—determining creditworthiness, employment prospects, educational admissions, and criminal justice outcomes—the data that feeds these systems becomes critically important. However, historical biases encoded in training data can perpetuate and even amplify existing social inequalities. The opacity of many algorithmic decision-making processes, often justified as protecting proprietary information, creates accountability gaps that make it difficult for individuals to contest decisions or understand how their personal data influences outcomes. This confluence of privacy erosion and algorithmic opacity disproportionately affects already marginalized communities, potentially entrenching systemic disadvantages.

The concept of differential privacy vulnerability highlights how privacy threats do not affect all populations equally. Certain groups—including political dissidents, journalists, activists, religious minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals—face heightened risks from privacy breaches. For these populations, privacy is not merely a matter of commercial preference but often a prerequisite for physical safety and fundamental freedoms. The global variation in privacy protections means that identical technologies may pose radically different risks depending on political context. A communication platform that offers convenient connectivity in one country might enable targeted persecution in another, highlighting the inadequacy of technology-centric solutions that fail to account for diverse sociopolitical contexts.

The intergenerational dimension of digital privacy presents particularly vexing challenges. Today’s young people are growing up in environments of unprecedented data collection, often referred to as “datafication of childhood.” Parents share children’s images and information online before those children can consent, creating digital footprints that will persist throughout their lives. Educational institutions increasingly employ learning analytics and surveillance technologies, normalizing monitoring from early ages. This socialization into surveillance may fundamentally shape generational attitudes toward privacy, potentially creating a self-reinforcing cycle where diminished privacy expectations lead to reduced resistance against further erosion. Research drawing insights from digital leadership programs for young learners suggests the need for critical digital literacy education that empowers young people to understand and navigate these complex privacy landscapes.

The collective action problem inherent in digital privacy protection presents significant obstacles to effective solutions. Privacy is often characterized as an individual right, yet privacy breaches create externalities that affect entire networks and communities. When one individual shares contact information with a poorly-secured application, they potentially compromise the privacy of everyone in their network. This social interdependence of privacy means that individual protective actions provide insufficient safeguards, requiring collective approaches and coordinated regulation. However, the diffuse nature of privacy harms—often probabilistic, delayed, and difficult to attribute directly—makes mobilizing collective action exceptionally challenging. This structural impediment allows privacy erosion to proceed incrementally, with each individual compromise appearing inconsequential while their cumulative effect proves transformative.

Emerging technologies promise to exacerbate these challenges while potentially offering new protective possibilities. Quantum computing threatens to render obsolete current encryption standards, potentially exposing vast archives of encrypted data to future decryption. Biometric identification technologies create privacy risks that are fundamentally different from traditional data collection because biological characteristics cannot be changed if compromised. Brain-computer interfaces and neurotechnology raise unprecedented privacy concerns regarding “mental privacy” or “cognitive liberty“—the protection of thoughts, emotions, and neural data. Concepts like those explored in the use of animation in teaching cultural diversity demonstrate how technology can be harnessed for positive social purposes, yet analogous applications in privacy protection remain underdeveloped compared to surveillance capabilities.

The path forward requires reconceptualizing privacy not merely as an individual preference to be balanced against other interests but as a collective good and structural condition necessary for democratic flourishing and human dignity. Some scholars advocate for recognizing privacy as a fundamental human right that cannot be commodified or waived through adhesive contracts. Others propose new governance models such as “data trusts” or “information fiduciaries” that would impose heightened obligations on entities handling personal data. Additionally, cultivating what might be termed “collective privacy consciousness“—a shared understanding of privacy’s social value—represents a crucial cultural shift needed to support robust regulatory frameworks. The challenges are formidable, yet the stakes—encompassing individual freedom, social justice, and democratic vitality—demand sustained engagement with these complex, evolving issues. As outlined in approaches similar to top digital marketing strategies, the balance between technological progress and privacy protection requires strategic frameworks that prioritize ethical considerations alongside commercial interests.

Questions 27-40

Questions 27-31: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

27. According to the passage, surveillance capitalism primarily operates through
    A. direct coercion of individuals
    B. transforming human experience into behavioral data
    C. government regulation of corporations
    D. transparent data collection processes

28. The “chilling effect” described in the passage refers to
    A. the temperature regulation of data servers
    B. reduced corporate profits from privacy regulations
    C. individuals self-censoring due to awareness of surveillance
    D. the cooling of public interest in privacy issues

29. Lateral surveillance differs from traditional surveillance because it
    A. involves monitoring by ordinary individuals rather than just institutions
    B. is less technologically sophisticated
    C. only occurs on social media platforms
    D. is easier to regulate legally

30. The passage suggests algorithmic discrimination is particularly problematic because
    A. algorithms are always completely inaccurate
    B. it can perpetuate biases while lacking transparency
    C. it only affects wealthy populations
    D. companies refuse to use algorithms

31. According to the passage, the collective action problem in privacy protection exists because
    A. people don’t care about privacy at all
    B. privacy breaches affect networks, not just individuals
    C. governments refuse to regulate privacy
    D. technology companies work together

Questions 32-36: Matching Features

Match each concept (32-36) with the correct description (A-H).

Write the correct letter, A-H.

Concepts:
32. Datafication of childhood __
33. Mental privacy __
34. Data trusts __
35. Differential privacy vulnerability __
36. Information fiduciaries __

Descriptions:
A. Protection of thoughts and neural data from technology
B. Privacy threats that disproportionately affect certain groups
C. Legal requirement for transparent data collection
D. Pervasive data collection about young people from early ages
E. Government agencies that protect privacy
F. New governance models for handling personal data
G. Technologies that automatically delete personal information
H. Entities with heightened obligations for managing personal data

Questions 37-40: Short-answer Questions

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

37. What term describes the economic system where human experience becomes behavioral data for prediction?

38. Which philosopher’s concept does the passage compare to modern surveillance effects?

39. What type of computing threatens to make current encryption standards obsolete?

40. According to the passage, privacy should be reconceptualized as a collective good and structural condition necessary for what two things? (Write TWO answers)

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Answer Keys – Đáp Án

PASSAGE 1: Questions 1-13

1. B
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. TRUE
7. FALSE
8. FALSE
9. NOT GIVEN
10. comprehensive profiles
11. cloud servers
12. national security
13. complex and (deliberately) obscure / deliberately obscure

PASSAGE 2: Questions 14-26

14. NO
15. YES
16. NO
17. YES
18. NO
19. v
20. i
21. iv
22. viii
23. iii
24. compliance burdens / significant compliance burdens
25. consent fatigue
26. uneven

PASSAGE 3: Questions 27-40

27. B
28. C
29. A
30. B
31. B
32. D
33. A
34. F
35. B
36. H
37. surveillance capitalism
38. Michel Foucault / Foucault
39. quantum computing
40. democratic flourishing AND human dignity (cả hai đáp án, thứ tự không quan trọng)

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Giải Thích Đáp Án Chi Tiết

Passage 1 – Giải Thích

Câu 1: B

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Từ khóa: privacy concerns, 1990s
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 1, dòng 3-5
• Giải thích: Bài đọc nêu rõ “In the early days of the internet, during the 1990s, privacy concerns were relatively limited and straightforward. Users worried primarily about basic issues such as unsolicited emails and simple forms of identity theft.” Câu hỏi paraphrase “basic issues” thành “basic internet issues” trong đáp án B.

Câu 2: C

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Từ khóa: social media platforms, mid-2000s
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 1-4
• Giải thích: Đoạn văn chỉ ra “While these platforms brought people together and created new forms of social connectivity, they also introduced significant privacy risks.” Đáp án C chính xác paraphrase ý này với “created opportunities for connection but also privacy risks.”

Câu 6: TRUE

• Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
• Từ khóa: privacy concerns, easier to understand, early days
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 1, dòng 2-6
• Giải thích: Bài viết so sánh “privacy concerns were relatively limited and straightforward” (thời kỳ đầu) với “the landscape of privacy challenges has become far more complex and multifaceted” (hiện tại), khẳng định rằng trước đây đơn giản hơn.

Câu 7: FALSE

• Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
• Từ khóa: social media users, understood, implications
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 5-7
• Giải thích: Bài viết nói “Users often failed to understand that once information was posted online, it could be permanently accessible” – điều này mâu thuẫn trực tiếp với câu khẳng định trong đề.

Câu 10: comprehensive profiles

• Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
• Từ khóa: tracking technologies, companies
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng 4-5
• Giải thích: Câu trong bài: “These technologies enable companies to build comprehensive profiles of individuals…” Đáp án lấy chính xác cụm từ từ bài đọc.

Câu 13: complex and (deliberately) obscure

• Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
• Từ khóa: privacy settings, platforms
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 9, dòng 2-3
• Giải thích: Bài viết nêu “Privacy settings on platforms are often complex and deliberately obscure” – đáp án có thể chấp nhận cả “complex and obscure” hoặc “deliberately obscure” vì đều trong giới hạn ba từ.

Passage 2 – Giải Thích

Câu 14: NO

• Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
• Từ khóa: end-to-end encryption, completely secure, never compromised
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 5-8
• Giải thích: Tác giả không khẳng định mã hóa hoàn toàn an toàn. Ngược lại, đoạn văn đề cập đến “backdoors” và lo ngại về “malicious actors,” cho thấy tác giả không đồng ý với quan điểm mã hóa không thể bị xâm phạm.

Câu 15: YES

• Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
• Từ khóa: free VPN services, harm privacy
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng 6-8
• Giải thích: Bài viết nêu rõ “some free services actually collecting and selling user data, defeating the very purpose for which they are employed” – điều này đồng nghĩa với việc làm hại quyền riêng tư.

Câu 17: YES

• Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
• Từ khóa: GDPR, influenced, beyond Europe
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 5, dòng 6-8
• Giải thích: Bài viết khẳng định “The regulation has had extraterritorial effects, influencing privacy practices worldwide” – tác giả rõ ràng đồng ý với quan điểm này.

Câu 19: v

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Headings
• Vị trí: Đoạn 5
• Giải thích: Đoạn văn thảo luận chi tiết về GDPR với tiêu đề “European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)… represents the most comprehensive privacy legislation to date.” Heading v “The most comprehensive European privacy regulation” phù hợp nhất.

Câu 20: i

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Headings
• Vị trí: Đoạn 6
• Giải thích: Đoạn văn tập trung vào “enforcement has been uneven across EU member states” với các vấn đề về compliance và sự không đồng đều trong việc thực thi GDPR.

Câu 24: compliance burdens

• Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
• Từ khóa: complexity, smaller businesses
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 6, dòng 2-3
• Giải thích: Bài viết nêu “The regulation’s complexity has created significant compliance burdens, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.”

Câu 25: consent fatigue

• Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
• Từ khóa: consent requirements, approve without consideration
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 6, dòng 4-5
• Giải thích: Đoạn văn đề cập “the GDPR’s consent mechanisms have led to ‘consent fatigue,’ where users routinely click through privacy notices without meaningful engagement.”

Passage 3 – Giải Thích

Câu 27: B

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Từ khóa: surveillance capitalism, operates
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 1-3
• Giải thích: Bài viết định nghĩa surveillance capitalism là “an economic paradigm in which human experience is transformed into behavioral data that is then used to predict and influence future behavior.” Đáp án B paraphrase chính xác ý này.

Câu 28: C

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Từ khóa: chilling effect
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng 2-4
• Giải thích: Passage giải thích “The awareness of being monitored creates what scholars describe as a ‘chilling effect,’ whereby individuals self-censor and modify their behavior.” Đáp án C diễn đạt chính xác ý này.

Câu 29: A

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Từ khóa: lateral surveillance, differs
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 4, dòng 3-5
• Giải thích: Bài viết chỉ ra lateral surveillance cho phép “not only governments and corporations but also ordinary individuals to monitor others” – đây là điểm khác biệt chính.

Câu 31: B

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Từ khóa: collective action problem
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 8, dòng 3-6
• Giải thích: Passage giải thích “privacy breaches create externalities that affect entire networks and communities” và “When one individual shares contact information… they potentially compromise the privacy of everyone in their network.”

Câu 32: D

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Features
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 7, dòng 2-3
• Giải thích: Bài viết mô tả “Today’s young people are growing up in environments of unprecedented data collection, often referred to as ‘datafication of childhood.'”

Câu 37: surveillance capitalism

• Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer
• Từ khóa: economic system, human experience, behavioral data
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 1
• Giải thích: Thuật ngữ được định nghĩa rõ ràng trong đoạn văn đầu tiên của Passage 3.

Câu 40: democratic flourishing AND human dignity

• Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer (2 đáp án)
• Từ khóa: privacy, collective good, structural condition
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 10, dòng 1-3
• Giải thích: Bài viết nêu rõ “reconceptualizing privacy… as a collective good and structural condition necessary for democratic flourishing and human dignity.”

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Từ Vựng Quan Trọng Theo Passage

Passage 1 – Essential Vocabulary

Từ vựng	Loại từ	Phiên âm	Nghĩa tiếng Việt	Ví dụ từ bài	Collocation
privacy	n	/ˈprɪvəsi/	quyền riêng tư	“The concept of privacy has undergone dramatic transformations”	digital privacy, privacy concerns, privacy settings
intertwined	adj	/ˌɪntəˈtwaɪnd/	đan xen, gắn bó chặt chẽ	“our lives have become increasingly intertwined with digital platforms”	closely intertwined, intertwined with
multifaceted	adj	/ˌmʌltiˈfæsɪtɪd/	nhiều mặt, đa diện	“the landscape of privacy challenges has become far more multifaceted”	multifaceted problem, multifaceted approach
surveillance	n	/sɜːˈveɪləns/	sự giám sát	“This level of surveillance occurs largely without users’ explicit awareness”	mass surveillance, surveillance economy, under surveillance
proliferation	n	/prəˌlɪfəˈreɪʃn/	sự gia tăng nhanh chóng	“The proliferation of smartphones has added another layer of complexity”	nuclear proliferation, proliferation of
implications	n	/ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃnz/	hàm ý, hệ quả	“many users grant these permissions without fully understanding the implications”	serious implications, long-term implications
adept	adj	/əˈdept/	thành thạo, giỏi	“Some retailers have become so adept at analyzing customer data”	adept at, highly adept
IoT (Internet of Things)	n	/ˌaɪ əʊ ˈtiː/	Internet vạn vật	“The Internet of Things (IoT) has introduced entirely new categories of privacy risks”	IoT devices, IoT technology
whistleblowers	n	/ˈwɪslbləʊəz/	người tố giác	“Following revelations by whistleblowers about extensive government monitoring programs”	corporate whistleblowers, protect whistleblowers
unwarranted	adj	/ʌnˈwɒrəntɪd/	không có căn cứ, không chính đáng	“critics argue it represents an unwarranted intrusion into private life”	unwarranted interference, unwarranted criticism
institutional	adj	/ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənl/	thuộc về thể chế	“This institutional surveillance raises questions”	institutional framework, institutional change
obscure	adj	/əbˈskjʊə/	mơ hồ, khó hiểu	“Privacy settings on platforms are often complex and deliberately obscure”	deliberately obscure, obscure meaning

Passage 2 – Essential Vocabulary

Từ vựng	Loại từ	Phiên âm	Nghĩa tiếng Việt	Ví dụ từ bài	Collocation
safeguard	v	/ˈseɪfɡɑːd/	bảo vệ, đảm bảo an toàn	“designed to safeguard personal information in the online environment”	safeguard privacy, safeguard against
encryption	n	/ɪnˈkrɪpʃn/	mã hóa	“encryption represents one of the most fundamental tools for protecting digital privacy”	end-to-end encryption, encryption technology, strong encryption
recipient	n	/rɪˈsɪpiənt/	người nhận	“messages can only be read by the intended recipient”	intended recipient, recipient of
backdoors	n	/ˈbækdɔːz/	cửa hậu (trong bảo mật)	“Some governments have advocated for backdoors in encryption systems”	encryption backdoors, create backdoors
undermine	v	/ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/	làm suy yếu	“malicious actors would fundamentally undermine the security”	undermine confidence, undermine efforts
routing	v	/ruːtɪŋ/	định tuyến	“By routing internet traffic through encrypted tunnels”	routing data, routing traffic
circumvent	v	/ˌsɜːkəmˈvent/	lách, vượt qua	“sophisticated tracking techniques can sometimes circumvent VPN protection”	circumvent restrictions, circumvent regulations
trustworthiness	n	/ˈtrʌstwɜːðinəs/	độ tin cậy	“the quality and trustworthiness of VPN services vary considerably”	trustworthiness of, establish trustworthiness
differential privacy	n	/ˌdɪfəˈrenʃl ˈprɪvəsi/	quyền riêng tư khác biệt	“techniques such as differential privacy, which adds statistical noise to datasets”	differential privacy mechanism
homomorphic encryption	n	/ˌhəʊməˈmɔːfɪk ɪnˈkrɪpʃn/	mã hóa đồng hình	“homomorphic encryption, which allows computations on encrypted data”	fully homomorphic encryption
GDPR	n	/ˌdʒiː diː piː ˈɑː/	Quy định bảo vệ dữ liệu chung (EU)	“the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)”	GDPR compliance, GDPR violations
extraterritorial	adj	/ˌekstrəˌterɪˈtɔːriəl/	có hiệu lực ngoài lãnh thổ	“The regulation has had extraterritorial effects”	extraterritorial jurisdiction, extraterritorial application
stringent	adj	/ˈstrɪndʒənt/	nghiêm ngặt	“adapt their operations to comply with its stringent standards”	stringent regulations, stringent requirements
consent fatigue	n	/kənˈsent fəˈtiːɡ/	mệt mỏi với việc đồng ý	“the GDPR’s consent mechanisms have led to consent fatigue”	suffer from consent fatigue
patchwork	n	/ˈpætʃwɜːk/	mảng vá, hỗn hợp	“creating a patchwork of regulations”	patchwork of laws, regulatory patchwork

Passage 3 – Essential Vocabulary

Từ vựng	Loại từ	Phiên âm	Nghĩa tiếng Việt	Ví dụ từ bài	Collocation
ramifications	n	/ˌræmɪfɪˈkeɪʃnz/	hậu quả, ảnh hưởng	“profound societal ramifications that challenge fundamental assumptions”	serious ramifications, political ramifications
ubiquitous	adj	/juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/	có mặt khắp nơi	“As digital technologies become increasingly ubiquitous”	ubiquitous technology, ubiquitous surveillance
surveillance capitalism	n	/sɜːˈveɪləns ˈkæpɪtəlɪzəm/	chủ nghĩa tư bản giám sát	“The phenomenon of surveillance capitalism”	rise of surveillance capitalism
asymmetric	adj	/ˌeɪsɪˈmetrɪk/	bất đối xứng	“operates through asymmetric power relationships”	asymmetric information, asymmetric warfare
opaque	adj	/əʊˈpeɪk/	mờ đục, không minh bạch	“corporations remain largely opaque in their own operations”	opaque system, remain opaque
chilling effect	n	/ˈtʃɪlɪŋ ɪˈfekt/	hiệu ứng làm lạnh (tự kiểm duyệt)	“The awareness of being monitored creates a chilling effect”	have a chilling effect, chilling effect on
self-censor	v	/self ˈsensə/	tự kiểm duyệt	“individuals self-censor and modify their behavior”	self-censor content, self-censor speech
panopticon	n	/pænˈɒptɪkən/	nhà tù hình tròn (ẩn dụ giám sát toàn diện)	“parallels the panopticon concept developed by Michel Foucault”	digital panopticon, panopticon effect
lateral surveillance	n	/ˈlætərəl sɜːˈveɪləns/	giám sát ngang hàng	“what some researchers term lateral surveillance”	peer-to-peer lateral surveillance
algorithmic discrimination	n	/ˌælɡəˈrɪðmɪk dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃn/	phân biệt đối xử thuật toán	“Algorithmic discrimination represents another critical dimension”	combat algorithmic discrimination
perpetuate	v	/pəˈpetʃueɪt/	duy trì, làm kéo dài	“historical biases encoded in training data can perpetuate existing social inequalities”	perpetuate stereotypes, perpetuate inequality
opacity	n	/əʊˈpæsəti/	tính mờ đục, thiếu minh bạch	“The opacity of many algorithmic decision-making processes”	algorithmic opacity, opacity of
marginalized	adj	/ˈmɑːdʒɪnəlaɪzd/	bị thiệt thòi, rìa	“disproportionately affects already marginalized communities”	marginalized groups, marginalized populations
datafication	n	/ˌdeɪtəfɪˈkeɪʃn/	số hóa dữ liệu	“often referred to as datafication of childhood”	datafication of society, datafication process
externalities	n	/ˌekstɜːˈnæləti/	tác động bên ngoài	“privacy breaches create externalities that affect entire networks”	negative externalities, social externalities
quantum computing	n	/ˈkwɒntəm kəmˈpjuːtɪŋ/	máy tính lượng tử	“Quantum computing threatens to render obsolete current encryption standards”	quantum computing power, quantum computing breakthrough
biometric	adj	/ˌbaɪəʊˈmetrɪk/	sinh trắc học	“Biometric identification technologies create privacy risks”	biometric data, biometric authentication
cognitive liberty	n	/ˈkɒɡnətɪv ˈlɪbəti/	tự do nhận thức	“unprecedented privacy concerns regarding cognitive liberty”	protect cognitive liberty, cognitive liberty rights

Từ vựng IELTS Reading về bảo mật số và quyền riêng tư trực tuyến

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Kết bài

Chủ đề “Challenges of ensuring digital privacy” không chỉ phản ánh một trong những vấn đề cấp thiết nhất của thời đại mà còn là chủ đề xuất hiện thường xuyên trong các đề thi IELTS Reading gần đây. Qua ba passages với độ khó tăng dần, bạn đã được tiếp xúc với đầy đủ các khía cạnh của vấn đề bảo mật số: từ sự phát triển lịch sử và các mối đe dọa cơ bản (Passage 1), đến các giải pháp kỹ thuật và khung pháp lý (Passage 2), và cuối cùng là những tác động xã hội sâu sắc cùng triển vọng tương lai (Passage 3).

Bộ đề thi mẫu này cung cấp trải nghiệm học tập toàn diện với 40 câu hỏi thuộc 7 dạng khác nhau, giúp bạn làm quen với format thi thật và phát triển kỹ năng làm bài hiệu quả. Phần đáp án chi tiết với giải thích cụ thể về paraphrase, vị trí thông tin và lý do đúng sai sẽ giúp bạn tự đánh giá năng lực và học hỏi từ những sai lầm. Đặc biệt, hệ thống từ vựng phân theo ba mức độ với hơn 35 từ vựng quan trọng kèm phiên âm, nghĩa và collocation là tài liệu quý giá để nâng cao vốn từ học thuật của bạn.

Để đạt kết quả tốt nhất, hãy làm bài trong điều kiện thi thật (60 phút, không tra từ điển), sau đó đối chiếu đáp án và nghiên cứu kỹ phần giải thích. Việc hiểu rõ cách thông tin được paraphrase giữa câu hỏi và passage là chìa khóa để nâng band điểm Reading. Chúc bạn luyện tập hiệu quả và đạt được mục tiêu IELTS như mong muốn!