March 13, 2020
More than 400 companies have pledged to support students’ right to privacy by safeguarding personal data.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) are pleased to announce that more than 400 companies nationwide have now signed the Student Privacy Pledge, affirming their commitment to ensuring student data is kept private and secure.
“Now more than ever, as our classrooms become increasingly connected and reliant upon technology, companies and schools must be held accountable for ensuring appropriate protections on students’ personal information,” said Jules Polonetsky, CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum. “The Pledge is an important tool that helps companies better communicate and enhance their student data privacy policies while also providing a much-needed layer of transparency and legal accountability for schools and communities. We are pleased to see continued interest and growth in the Pledge from reputable and respected education technology companies around the country.”
SIIA President Jeff Joseph said, “SIIA and our members are committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of all student personal information. Six years and 400 signatures later, the Pledge remains the embodiment of that commitment. The Pledge has stood the test of time, serving as an important set of principles for companies, large and small, as they work to comply with an increasingly complex set of state and federal laws. Policymakers should look to the Pledge as an example of a strong industry commitment to protecting student privacy while enabling the creation of innovative new products designed to improve outcomes. We’re pleased to celebrate this important milestone and look forward to the next six years of the Pledge.”
Launched in October 2014 with endorsements from President Barack Obama, the National PTA, and the National School Boards Association, the Student Privacy Pledge is asks companies that provide services to schools to commit to twelve legally enforceable obligations, including that they will not sell student personal information, and will not collect or use student personal information other than what is needed for the given educational purposes.
A few of the Pledge’s signatories share their thoughts on the importance of this initiative:
- Apple: “At Apple, we build privacy into every product and service we make. We’re proud to be a signatory to the Student Privacy Pledge, so that young people can benefit from classroom technologies without fear of their personal information being sold or stolen. We believe technology should serve students — never the other way around.”
- ClassDojo: “At ClassDojo, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right. Communities of teachers and families across the country join ClassDojo to give their children an education they love. Those communities require trust. That’s why every ClassDojo product is designed to protect our community’s right to privacy, and to give people control over their information. Our commitment to privacy as a fundamental right made it easy for us to be one of the first signatories of the Student Privacy Pledge when it launched.”
- itslearning: “itslearning is a proud signatory of the Future of Privacy Forum’s and SIIA’s Privacy Pledge. As the first LMS provider to comply with the Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), itslearning has long recognized the need to protect student data and has established a track record of doing so. We applaud the work of FPF and SIIA and look forward to our continued work as a Pledge signatory entrusted to safeguard the data rights of students.”
