You might be surprised, but schools collect a ton of data about students for administrative purposes, through learning apps, and through the use of school-issued devices. As we head into the new school year, it’s important to understand how this data is managed and protected.
Back-to-school season increases the risk of data breaches as educational institutions increase their use of technology. If this data is accessed by unauthorized parties, such as marketers or threat actors, it could be used to create customer profiles for targeted advertising or, in more serious cases, lead to identity theft.
We’ll explore some of the often overlooked dangers associated with school technology and share some preventative measures to help protect your data when your children return to school.
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Child and parent working on computer. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
Understanding Technology in Schools
Most schools use apps, devices, and management software to make learning easier for your child. There’s no denying that technology has made schools more efficient and learning more accessible. But like all good things, school technology also has its downsides.
Classroom management apps are widely used to track academic performance, but some learning apps also monitor engagement. Although these apps are designed for educational purposes, some of them share tracking data with third parties, such as advertisers.
Legal Protection: COPPA and FERPA Explained
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires these apps and websites to get parental consent before collecting information from children under the age of 13. However, if the service is used solely for educational purposes, a school can provide COPPA consent on behalf of parents.
Additionally, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), public schools can share information about your child, such as your child’s name, address, date of birth, attendance, and awards and recognition, with third parties without parental consent.
How to remove your personal information from the internet
Risks of school-issued devices
Another potential risk are school-issued devices. Many schools provide students with tablets and laptops, but these devices are easy targets for hackers, who can exploit privacy settings such as location and browser tracking.
If your child posts on social media using a school device, threat actors could use that information to target your child, and even strict privacy settings cannot guarantee that posts won’t be seen by the wrong people.
Students working on laptops. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
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Educating your kids about online dangers
Kids today are spending more time online than ever before. It’s important to teach them that the internet is not always a safe place. Talk to your kids about the dangers of interacting with strangers online. Just because someone has a social media account or email doesn’t mean they are who they say they are.
Be very careful with your kids’ social media – that means setting clear rules about who they can talk to online. Make sure you have access to your child’s accounts and know their usernames and email addresses.
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Students working on laptops in classroom. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
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4 ways to protect your kids from the dangers of technology at school
Below are four steps you can follow to keep your child’s personal data safe.
1. Inform the school of your privacy settings: At the beginning of the school year, schools often offer privacy options. Be sure to tell them if you don’t want your child’s data shared with third parties. You can opt out by notifying the school not to share your child’s directory information. If you didn’t receive this form at the beginning of the school year, contact your school administrator and ask them to remove your child from the directory.
2. Check your school’s apps. Schools often require your child to use a variety of apps, including those for learning and tracking. However, it’s important to make sure these apps are trustworthy and don’t request unnecessary device permissions. Be wary of apps that request access to your location or track browsing activity, as these may pose privacy risks. Check each app’s permissions and privacy policy to protect your child’s data. Here are my top four picks for child monitoring programs for 2024.
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3. Monitor school-issued devices: It is important to know what apps and services you are accessing on your device. If your device has a camera, try to hide it with masking tape or Webcam Cover Cover the lens when not in use. This simple step will prevent unwanted apps or threats from using the camera to spy on your kids. It’s a quick and effective way to block potential snoops.
4. Beware of back-to-school shopping scams: Hackers are trying to scam back-to-school shoppers by tricking them into clicking on malicious links. Between May and mid-July of this year, the McAfee Labs team identified approximately 6,000 suspicious and malicious links directing online back-to-school shoppers to inappropriate and torrent sites.
According to the data, McAfee has seen a 380% year-over-year increase in suspicious links targeting consumers doing their back-to-school shopping online, as well as a 6% year-over-year increase in spam emails related to the back-to-school season.
The best way to protect yourself from clicking on malicious links that install malware is to install strong antivirus protection on all your devices. We’ve handpicked the winners of the best antivirus protection of 2024 for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
5 expert hacks to save money on back-to-school essentials
Important points about the cart
As schools increasingly use technology in the classroom, it’s important to understand how your child’s data is being collected and used. Educational apps and school-issued devices offer many benefits, but also carry risks that are often overlooked. The sharing of student data with third parties and the possibility of cyber attacks on school devices are major concerns.
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Have you checked the privacy policies of the apps and software your child’s school uses? What did you find? Cyberguy.com/Contact Us
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