It is now over five years since the notion of surveillance capitalism was raised as a reaction towards the collection and commodification of personal data, around the time when GDPR was implemented in Europe. Responsible use of information systems remains essential but is difficult to accomplish when altering human behaviour in choosing relevant content is incorporated in design. Awareness of surveillance practices is increasingly important in higher education. Students are exposed to a variety of technologies for several purposes which sets demands on new strategies to deal with consequences of information sharing. Information seeking strategies among university students is studied through a survey that provides knowledge of their perceptions and imaginaries about information seeking tools regarding surveillance. The study is based on practice theory and technology acceptance model to gain deeper understanding of students’ consciousness about information sharing when seeking information. This study contributes to Information science, mainly in understanding the needs for transparency about surveillance when using information systems. Comparing students’ awareness about surveillance in different levels of education programmes, gives an indicator of how education can support critical thinking regarding surveillance. The study identifies themes and distinguishes between different strategies to navigate surveillance practices when seeking information for higher education. Imaginaries regarding surveillance particularly influence students’ practices when in need of higher quality. Social influence of TAM is affected by perceived and imagined surveillance. Students ignore the presence of surveillance when information quality is of less importance.