Federal News in Brief

New Federal Law Could Affect Students’ Internet Privacy

By Sean Cavanagh — April 18, 2017 1 min read
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President Donald Trump has signed into law a measure that critics say clears a path for internet-service providers to share and sell customers’ web-browsing histories and other personal data, a decision that could have ramifications for student privacy.

The legislation nixes rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission that set privacy restrictions on data the telecoms collect on customers. Those rules had not yet taken effect.

Just how and whether student information could be gathered and sold depends on such factors as the language of individual K-12 contracts with schools and districts, experts say. Another factor is whether students log in through the school or their own, separate connection.

A version of this article appeared in the April 19, 2017 edition of Education Week as New Federal Law Could Affect Students’ Internet Privacy

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