澳门跑狗论坛

Student Data Privacy and Security: Red Flags in Terms-of-Service Agreements

Have you ever looked closely at your favorite app鈥檚 terms-of-service agreement? The pages of often-dense legalese can make it tempting to simply scroll to the bottom and click 鈥淥K,鈥� but for educators and education leaders, some of that jargon should raise red flags with regard to students鈥� privacy and security. Here are a few commonly used provisions and why they should give users pause.

Related story:

Terms-of-Service Agreement

What鈥檚 wrong: Increasingly, education applications collect all kinds of data without the user being aware of it: keystrokes, time on task, browser searches, even location information. If those data aren鈥檛 included in the definition, you have no way of knowing what data are collected and how they are used.

What鈥檚 wrong: Many companies use de-identified student data, but removing a student鈥檚 name or school ID is not enough to prevent the data from being reconnected to the student. The company should specify exactly how it will de-identify the data, both basic student identification and demographic information, school location, or other items that could be used to identify the student.

What鈥檚 wrong: Using either data or metadata鈥攖he information about data, such as categories or time stamps鈥攖o create profiles of students or their parents would violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and it should be explicitly barred.

What鈥檚 wrong: This can make any protections or restrictions on the data basically toothless. The school or district should keep control of the data and should get clear notice of any changes.

What鈥檚 wrong: The agreement should make it clear that the company can use the data only to provide the service; it should not keep student data after the district is no longer using the service or take away intellectual-property rights from teachers or schools creating content through the service.

What鈥檚 wrong: It seems pretty straightforward, but experts say schools often overlook age restrictions when the content seems suitable for young students. (Did you know YouTube is not intended for younger than 13?) It can be a clue that the app collects data or uses social media in ways that require parental consent.