California publishes data privacy guide
With a generation that is so accustomed to using technology for educational purposes, maintaining privacy has become increasingly difficult. California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris recently published a guide with recommendations to protect the privacy of students and student data, but it lacked legally binding laws to enforce them.
Harris’s guide addresses the topic of student privacy regarding use of Ed Tech, which is any educational technology that facilitates learning, improves education and enhances the teaching and learning process in a systematic way by collecting student information. PreCalculus and Geometry teacher Henry Chou and junior Nisha Nirmal recognize and value the importance of using Ed Tech to learn, but also acknowledge how difficult it is to utilize technology for educational purposes and still maintain complete privacy.
“Privacy and technology are very interconnected topics, and you cannot expect individualized learning if you are not willing to sacrifice some privacy in order for sites or companies to find the best ways to personalize the way you learn and the topics you learn,” Nirmal said. “Most of the time, these services only take the information absolutely necessary to help the student and nothing more.”
Harris stated that her November guide is intended to offer recommendations for ensuring privacy protection for students while making the most of technological advancements. The guide includes six ways in which the Ed Tech industry can better protect the privacy of students. These recommendations include minimizing data collection and retention, keeping data purely educational, making data protection a priority, respecting user rights, implementing reasonable safeguards and providing a clear privacy policy.
“Many of the most commonly-used educational websites have good reputations and do not collect any more information than they need to, so they are reliable and trustworthy,” said Chou. “Khan Academy is one such website that assists students in learning about a variety of topics more thoroughly and in-depth, which greatly benefits and enhances their education and understanding.”
Gathering student data helps sites garner as much information as possible about a student, so they are able to personalize the education each student receives and provide recommendations or services most suitable for each specific student.
“I believe this is better than everyone being taught the same way, especially since most students have differing learning styles,” Nirmal said.
While some believe that sacrificing privacy for a more fitting education is needed, others believe that technology should not be trusted with sensitive information until the safety and security of the site is assured. Sometimes, private information is collected without the user’s consent or knowledge. Without a clear privacy policy, it is difficult to determine exactly what information the site is collecting and for what purpose.
“Harris’s guide has excellent recommendations and precautionary tactics, but I think they will be difficult to enforce due to the lack of a clear definition of what violates student rights and how much or what kind of information is too much,” senior Ricky Negishi said. “Finding the line between what is necessary and unnecessary information is difficult, and there must be some clarification on that before student privacy can be properly established.”
Students have yet to see the results of Harris’s November guide, but they remain optimistic that their privacy will soon be assured.
“I am hopeful that one day we can be sure that our information is safe and not have to worry or that it will be taken or used for negative purposes,” Negishi said.
