Privacy & Security
Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to protect sensitive information and keep students safe online
School Cyberattacks, Explained
Hackers are terrorizing schools with increasingly complex attacks, causing data breaches and more. Here’s what educators need to know.
Special Report
Cyberattacks on Schools
There have been at least 775 publicly disclosed cyber incidents in K-12 schools nationally since 2016. Under normal circumstances, this was a big problem. Now, the coronavirus could make it even bigger.
Special Report
K-12 Cybersecurity
Education Week delves into the nature of the threats facing K-12 systems and the steps they can take to protect themselves. This examination of K-12 cybersecurity is the second of three special reports focused on the needs of K-12 district technology leaders, including chief technology officers.
Special Report
Data
The rising tension between advocates for greater use of data to improve schools and people who are worried about protecting student privacy is one of the most contentious issues in education.
- Privacy & Security Social Media Threats at School Taken Up by U.S. Supreme CourtThe justices take up a case that includes a Facebook reference to shooting up a school. Was it a true threat, or a "therapeutic" vent?Privacy & Security Principals Push for More Safeguards for Student PrivacyThe National Association of Secondary School Principals released a set of recommendations for federal, state and local school officials that outline concrete steps it says will improve policies and practices to protect student data.
Privacy & Security 'Big Data' Research Effort Faces Student-Privacy QuestionsA coalition of prominent research universities is receiving federal support to redesign and scale up a massive repository for analyzing learning and behavioral data.Privacy & Security Ed. Data-Mining Research Effort Wins Federal Grant, Raises Privacy QuestionsThe National Science Foundation awarded a $4.8 million grant for the creation of a massive repository for storing, sharing and analyzing digital learning data.Privacy & Security Ed-Tech Companies Pledge Data-Privacy Protections, Draw SkepticismCompanies now have a voluntary pledge for privacy practices they can sign as K-12 service providers, but some privacy advocates say it doesn't go far enough.Privacy & Security Ed-Tech Industry Weighs Impact of New Data-Privacy LawsA California law is one of the most aggressive attempts to balance the promise of digital learning technologies with concerns about the privacy of children's sensitive information.
Privacy & Security 'Landmark' Student-Data-Privacy Law Enacted in CaliforniaCalifornia's new student-data-privacy bill prohibits vendors from selling student information and restricts targeting advertising and the building of student profiles.Privacy & Security Student-Data-Privacy News RoundupThe advance of student-data-privacy legislation in California and elsewhere has attracted media attention in recent weeks.Privacy & Security Coding and Computer Science Focus of New Online Learning PlatformSeattle-based nonprofit Code.org announced new free online learning resources to teach students computer science and provide teachers with professional development.
Privacy & Security Punish Kids by Taking Away Mobile Devices? A #TBT Look Back to 2010Devices and apps have evolved since 2010, probably more quickly than parents' strategies for monitoring teens' digital usage and regulating teens' digital access as a form of discipline.Privacy & Security News in Brief Lawmakers in Calif. Pass Online Student-Data LawTrying to protect children from marketers, identity thieves, and predators, California could establish the nation's toughest protections of student privacy and forbid the sale and disclosure of schools' online student data.Privacy & Security Throwback Thursday: Student-Cellphone-Search Lawsuit Still ResonatesA 2009 lawsuit filed by the ACLU highlighted a still-evolving legal issue: When can school administrators search students' cellphones and social media accounts?Privacy & Security Senators Introduce New Federal Data Privacy LegislationU.S. Senators Edward Markey and Orrin Hatch introduced a bill to update FERPA with stricter restrictions on the use of students' personally identifiable information.Privacy & Security Parent Groups Call for Congressional Data-Privacy HearingsA new coalition of parents and activists is pressing Congress to better protect students' sensitive educational information.
Privacy & Security Microsoft Puts Data Privacy on Its Branding AgendaBy backing research and speaking out on the topic, the technology giant is encouraging school officials across the country to demand strong student-data privacy.
![Cameron Evans, Microsoft’s chief technology officer for U.S. education, says: “Students are not products. We have a long way to go across the industry in getting everyone on board with protecting students’ [data privacy].”](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/730a8a7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/588x399+6+0/resize/840x570!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F93%2F65%2F643fb0ac59c667cc20c4f15cdbb1%2F36microsoft-cameron-evans-600.jpg)