The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the privacy of citizens in an age when websites, email providers and software makers suck up and store information on users, started the Spying on Students Campaign to make sure student information stays secure.
The nonprofit recently filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging Google is violating student privacy when students use a suite of programs designed for them. You can read about that here.
Here is a statement from the EFF about their concerns: “Understanding and using technology is fundamental to education in the 21st century. As a result, many school districts around the country are making use of cloud-based educational platforms and assigning laptops and tablets to students.
“Almost one third of all students—elementary through high school—already use school-issued digital devices, and many of these devices present a serious risk to student privacy. They collect far more information on kids than is necessary, store this information indefinitely, and sometimes even upload it to the cloud automatically. In short, they’re spying on students—and school districts, which often provide inadequate privacy policies (or no privacy policy at all), are helping them.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has written about student privacy, and State Superintendent Richard Woods appointed a privacy officer in June to keep tabs on the issue.
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