Student Privacy Pledge Reaches Milestone of 300 Signatories
The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) are pleased to announce that the Student Privacy Pledge has passed a new milestone – over 300 ed tech company signatories. The Pledge is a list of commitments that school service providers can make to affirm that K-12 student information is kept private and secure.
Protecting privacy and promoting inclusion with the 'Internet of Things'
To technologists and innovators, the “Internet of Things” (IoT) represents a world of exciting new benefits that will solve important technical and social problems. To critics, IoT represents a world of pervasive surveillance, with toys that spy on kids and microphone-enabled devices recording and retaining our most personal data.
Privacy plays major role in new federal government guidance on transgender student rights
Recently, the Department of Justice and the state of North Carolina have filed counter-suits regarding the state’s so called “bathroom bill.” The North Carolina “Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act” requires students to use public restrooms that correspond with their sex assigned at birth and not with the gender with which they identify.
White House Releases Report on Big Data and Discrimination
FPF has been an early and eager participant in this discussion and was pleased to see the report’s appreciation for the potential of Big Data. In dealing with the risks of discrimination posed by realization of Big Data’s potential, FPF sees strong data ethics framework as a necessary and effective addition to the raw potential of technology.
Google Provides Open Source Platform for Beacon Security
After an initial splash, news about beacon technology has been fairly quiet recently, but last week an advancement was announced that will support easier access to privacy and security capabilities on this unique technology. Beacons are sometimes misunderstood – thought to collect or retain data on nearby people, or able to track smartphone movements without […]
May 10th Event: The Higher Education Privacy Conference
The fifth annual Higher Education Privacy Conference (HEPC) will be held on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at the George Washington University Marvin Center in Washington, DC. The HEPC is one-day event that focuses on privacy and information management in higher education. The event consists of a combination of speakers and smaller breakout discussion groups to […]
Chris Wolf Moderates Panel at CES 2016
Innovating Privacy: New Frameworks for Changing Technology Chris led the discussion by this excellent panel at this year’s CES. Full panel discussion can be viewed here(link expired). Consumers are enjoying the benefits of connected devices while navigating (grappling with!) new privacy issues. Industry and regulators alike are working to understand consumer preferences while preserving creativity […]
States and the District of Columbia Introduce ACLU Sponsored Legislation to Address Student Privacy
Recently, the ACLU, in partnership with the Tenth Amendment Center, created model legislation for states to “take control of their privacy in a digital age.” On January 20th, 2016 the ACLU coordinated with legislators in 16 states and the District of Columbia to roll out a variety of privacy bills simultaneously, many of which addressed […]
Student Privacy Boot Camp for Ed Tech Vendors
ReThink Education and Future of Privacy Forum invite start-ups, and small, and medium-sized ed tech companies to an intensive and comprehensive program designed to ensure vendors handling student data understand privacy laws and best practices. Resources From Event : Panel: Overview of Basic Privacy Principles for Edtech Services Panel: FERPA and COPPA Panel: State Laws/Proposed […]
Who Exactly IS a "School Official" Anyway?
School Officials and Ed Tech Vendors The School Official exception to FERPA, the federal student privacy law, allows schools to provide student data to principals, teachers and school employees to use for educational purposes. But what about contractors who may work for the school, like a bus company or an email service provider? The original […]