According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), globally, students required to use government-certified educational technology (ed tech) during the COVID-19 pandemic have been collected and sold to advertising technology company.
HRW said a total of 146 of 164 technology products were government-approved to pose a risk to children’s privacy, with 199 third-party companies receiving personal data.
Furthermore, only 35 certified vendors disclosed that user data would be collected for behavioral advertising, while a total of 23 products were developed with children in mind. main use.
“In the absence of alternatives, children are faced with a unique choice whether they are aware of it or not: Going to school and using an appropriate technology product infringes on their rights.” privacy, or give up the product altogether, get marked as absent, and be forced to drop out during the pandemic,” HRW wrote in its report. How dare they look into my private life.
The HRW investigation, which commenced in March 2021, examined the extent to which students were receptive to using modern technology products as a result of homeschooling during the pandemic lockdown – an increase seen in educational apps used by an estimated 100 million cumulative hours per week, an increase of 90% over the same period in 2019.
Of the products investigated, 39 are mobile apps, 91 are websites, and 34 are available in both formats. Apps running on Google’s Android operating system are the focus of the report, with HRW calling it “the dominant mobile operating system worldwide”.
Meta was also caught up in the investigation, with HRW finding that 31 tech sites sent data to Facebook through the Facebook Pixel – a technology that collects data and then facilitates targeted ads. spend on Facebook and Instagram.
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In Australian schools, the HRW investigation concluded the following products were capable of tracking students: Minecraft Education Edition, Cisco’s Webex, Education Perfect, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex and Adobe Connect.
In addition to Australia, 9 governments including Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Turkey, have built and delivered 11 collectible educational apps Android advertising ID from children. According to HRW, an estimated 41 million students and teachers have put their privacy at risk by these apps.
HRW made the following recommendations to governments to tackle privacy violations: Pass data protection legislation specifically for children; enact and enforce laws to prevent companies from exploiting children’s rights; prohibit writing child records; and prohibits behavioral advertising to children among others.
The report also recommends changes to tech companies including stopping the collection and processing of children’s data to profile users, and providing child-friendly privacy policies among them. the others.
Relevant scope
