David Navetta writes: Educational institutions at all levels have begun to realize that they hold a treasure trove of student-related information, that if analyzed using “Big Data” techniques, could yield valuable insights to further their educational missions. Of course, as one can imagine, Big Data projects using student-related information can implicate significant privacy issues. Schools…
Category: Youth & Schools
At some schools, ‘Big Brother’ is watching
Kelly Wallace reports: Just as parents are grappling with how to keep their kids safe on social media, schools are increasingly confronting a controversial question: Should they do more to monitor students’ online interactions off-campus to protect them from dangers such as bullying, drug use, violence and suicide? […] David Jones, president of the firm…
Local school officials fearful of student records database
Gary Stern reports on the situation in New York With a rare level of urgency, school officials are scrambling to keep extensive student records out of a privately run database that is a key part of the state’s reform agenda. Local officials, once again at odds with the state Education Department, have grave concerns about…
A stronger ‘online eraser’ law would be a mistake
Woodrow Hartzog has an opinion piece in the New Scientist about California’s new “online eraser law,” SB-568. The law gives minors under the age of 18 some limited rights to delete personal information that they had posted online or on a mobile app. The key word here is “limited,” as the right is not absolute….