FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mark Luetzelschwab, Ph.D.
info@studentdataprivacy.com
(512) 692-7677
NEW SERVICE HELPS DISTRICTS PROTECT STUDENT PRIVACY
Student Data Privacy Services evaluates privacy risks of apps and websites on behalf of districts.
AUSTIN, TX, September 21st, 2015
Student Data Privacy Services now offers school districts a service that evaluates how well educational apps and websites protect student privacy. The announcement was made today to coincide with the 2015 National Student Privacy Symposium in Washington, DC.
Districts are required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to maintain control of their students' data and need to provide a trusted environment to their students. As digital tools in the classroom become ubiquitous, district technology leaders are faced with a daunting task of tracking and evaluating potentially hundreds of mobile apps and websites used in their schools.
For districts that don't have the time or budget to contact and evaluate each and every website and app themselves, Student Data Privacy Services will do it for them. Student Data Privacy Services compiles a list of all technology in use in the district, conducts a detailed interview with each provider, evaluates providers on seven key privacy risks, and reports the results to the districts. Teachers or technology coordinators can request evaluation of new providers throughout the year and the evaluations are updated at least one per year.
While other efforts focus on a narrow definition of privacy related to marketing and hacking, Student Data Privacy takes a more holistic view of student privacy called the "Seven Privacy Sins™" that evaluates risk across: Improper Contact, Identity Theft, Unwanted Marketing, Humiliation, Unfair Treatment, Permanent Records, and Digital Footprints.
"While faceless hackers fuel public fear, loss of privacy can also happen inside schools." said Dr. Mark Luetzelschwab, founder of Student Data Privacy Services and father to three children in public schools. "Data that is inadvertently shared, accidently viewed, stored beyond its usefulness, or simply misapplied can lead to humiliation by peers, mistreatment by teachers and staff, and never being able to overcome youthful mistakes.”
"Districts need help vetting apps and websites." said Bob Moore, a consultant to many districts on student data privacy. "This is a thoughtful model that goes well beyond the status quo to provide districts the data they need to make well-informed decisions." Mr. Moore's blog titled "Practical Privacy for Districts and Schools" is available on StudentDataPrivacy.com.
ABOUT STUDENT DATA PRIVACY SERVICES
Student Data Privacy Services helps districts protect student data privacy by evaluating the business model, privacy policy, privacy practices and technical security of apps and websites used in the districts' classrooms. These risks are evaluated across the Seven Privacy Sins™, a holistic model that goes beyond the fear of a data breach or unwanted marketing by evaluating risks within the schools as well as outside the schools. Student Data Privacy Services is a valued partner to schools, parents and service providers who all have a vested interest in protecting students while online.
