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 A New Digital Divide? Low-Income Students See More Ads in the Tech Their Schools UseStudents from the lowest-income families are the most likely to attend schools that do not systematically vet their education technology.
Privacy & Security Q&A Why One Tech Leader Prioritizes Explaining Student Data Privacy to TeachersJun Kim, the director of technology for an Oklahoma school district, helped build a statewide database of vetted learning platforms.
Privacy & Security A Massive Data Leak Exposed School Lockdown Plans. What Districts Need to KnowMore than 4 million records held by school safety software company Raptor Technologies were left inadvertently exposed online.
Privacy & Security As Cyberattacks Mount, Lawmakers Double Their Efforts to Protect SchoolsBut the legislative push is not matched by funds to build better cyber defenses.
Privacy & Security 3 Superintendents Share Cybersecurity Best PracticesCyberattacks cause major disruptions to learning, but school districts are still struggling to put in place effective protections.
Privacy & Security Saturn Is a New App for High Schoolers. Here’s Why It Has Educators ConcernedSaturn is billed as a time-management app, but experts see potential privacy concerns in allowing it broad access to students' schedules.
Privacy & Security Nonprofit Uses Halloween Run-Up to Showcase 'Scary' Privacy Issues in Learning AppsSelling data for targeted advertising, sharing it with third party vendors, and vague data privacy policies raise concerns, nonprofit says.
Privacy & Security E-Rate Money for Cybersecurity? Schools Want It to Be a Top Funding PriorityThe federal E-rate program has the potential to help schools build better defenses against cyberattacks.
Privacy & Security Cybersecurity Is the Top Priority for Ed-Tech Officials. Funding Doesn’t Match the DemandThere is a growing gap between the rising threat of cyberattacks and the lack of state resources to protect schools from those attacks.
Privacy & Security 7 Data Breaches That Left Schools in the LurchK-12 schools are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Privacy & Security Schools Are a Top Target of Ransomware Attacks, and It's Getting WorseEighty percent of school IT professionals reported that their schools were hit by ransomware in the last year, according to a Sophos survey.
Privacy & Security Biden Administration Announces Cybersecurity Initiative for K-12 SchoolsK-12 schools have become a big target for hackers in recent years and the cyberattacks are more sophisticated than ever.
Privacy & Security Districts, Take Note: Privacy Is Rare in Apps Used in SchoolsNot protecting students' data privacy can cause real-world harms.
Privacy & Security Most Tech Companies Profit Off Student Data, Even If They Say Otherwise, Report FindsNearly three-quarters of the most popular apps and online platforms likely profit from user data, according to Common Sense Media.
Privacy & Security Newly Proposed Grants Could Help Districts Extinguish a Cybersecurity '4-Alarm Fire'School districts could apply for grants to protect against the mounting threat of cyberattacks, FCC chairwoman says.
