Edtech start-ups are not prioritising protecting student privacy
Edtech start-ups often prioritise customer acquisition and product development over student data protections, a study from Carnegie Mellon University has found. Many edtech start-ups also lacked formal methods for communicating how they intend to use student data, according to the report. To adequately protect student data, start-ups should plan for periodic improvements of their privacy practices and resist storing student data unnecessarily, the report advised.

PRIVACY CONCERNS: Critics of how edtech startups secure and protect their user’s data can now refer to a new study from Carnegie Mellon University, where researchers found that these companies often fail to “prioritize student data protections” over customer acquisition and product development. The study also points out that many startups lack formal methods for communicating what plans they have in place regarding student data.

The report “emphasizes that investors and incubators need to prioritize privacy when funding companies,” Amelia Vance, policy counsel at nonprofit Future of Privacy Forum, said in a prepared statement. “Privacy needs to be built into EdTech products from the beginning, and investors are ideally situated to insist that start-ups have a culture of privacy.”

The report also offers suggestions for the industry, including that edtech startups should improve privacy practices periodically, as well as “resist collecting or storing unnecessary student data and establish strong internal controls to preclude doing so.”