Posts by Amelia Vance

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New Study on “the Marketplace for Student Data”

Fordham University’s Center on Law and Information Policy (CLIP) just released the study, “Transparency and the Marketplace for Student Data,” which examines the practices of data brokers who buy and sell information about students. In the study, the authors describe existing privacy laws, map the commercial marketplace, and describe the challenges of understanding how data about students is collected and used.

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Ensuring School Safety While Also Protecting Privacy: FPF Testimony Before the Federal Commission on School Safety

Amelia Vance, FPF’s Director of Education Privacy, spoke today at the Federal Commission on Student Safety’s Listening Session. She asked that any Commission recommendations include the need for privacy “guardrails” around school safety measures to ensure that student privacy and equity are protected.

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FPF Comments on Minnesota Student Privacy Bill HF 1507

Yesterday, the Future of Privacy Forum submitted written comments to members of the Minnesota House of Representatives in response to the pending student privacy bill, the Student Data Privacy Act (HF 1507). FPF expressed concerns about the proposed language of the bill, which would create conflicting requirements for schools and education technology companies, and likely cause unintended consequences for Minnesota schools and students.

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FPF Welcomes New Members to the Education Privacy Project

We are thrilled to announce four new members of FPF’s Education Privacy Project. Led by Amelia Vance, Director of Education Privacy, the Project works to equip and connect parents, educators, state and local education agencies, ed tech companies, and other stakeholders with substantive practices, policies, and other solutions to address education privacy challenges.

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New US Dept of Ed Finding: Schools Cannot Require Parents or Students to Waive Their FERPA Rights Through Ed Tech Company’s Terms of Service

Policymakers, parents, and privacy advocates have long asked whether FERPA is up to the task of protecting student privacy in the 21st century. A just-released letter regarding the Agora Cyber Charter School might signal that a FERPA compliance crack-down – frequently mentioned as their next step after providing extensive guidance by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) employees at conferences throughout 2017 – has begun. The Agora letter provides crucial guidance to schools and ed tech companies about how USED interprets FERPA’s requirements regarding parental consent and ed tech products’ terms of service, and it may predict USED’s enforcement priorities going forward.