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The leader of the Alberta Teachers’ Association is calling for tougher government measures to protect the personal data of students and teachers from profit-driven exploitation.
President Jason Schilling told Postmedia while digital tools aren’t new to classrooms, they’ve become more common and sophisticated in how they track user information, from browsing habits to the basic details users need to share to sign up for online accounts.
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“It’s about making sure that the companies that are out there that do work in the education industry aren’t finding ways to exploit students’ data and staff personnel data for their own financial gains — that there is some regulation around that,” he said.
“This is definitely something that we need to have a conversation about,” he said.
His comments come after the national alliance of teachers’ organizations, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, sounded the alarm earlier this month over the “massive data trails” being left by students online, calling on the federal government to pass legislation and for provincial governments to take steps to protect privacy and prevent the misuse of student data.
“When student data is used to market private tutoring services, sell learning apps, or become an indicator of neighbourhood profitability for the real estate industry, privatization and monetization threaten both equity and the very core of quality public education,” the federation said in a news release.
The federal government’s proposed Bill C-27, the Digital Charter Implementation Act promises new rules governing the gathering and use of personal information for commercial activity in Canada, including new digital protections for kids.
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Canada privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne has said the proposed law is “a step in the right direction” but must go further to protect privacy rights.
Schilling said the ATA plans to submit recommendations to the provincial government by the time the legislature reconvenes in the fall. He acknowledged that legislative changes will be complicated and take time, but teachers need to be consulted on a strategy that considers the potential impact on students and classrooms.
Savannah Johannsen, press secretary to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, said the government has not heard specific complaints about the issue in Alberta, and encouraged anyone aware of personal data being misused to report it to the department or the office of the information and privacy commissioner.
She also pointed to existing provincial laws like the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act, the Education Act and Student Record Regulation, saying they safeguard student assessment data.
“These pieces of legislation set out the rules on how student assessment data can be used and prohibit third-party use except in very limited cases such as research,” said Johannsen in an emailed statement.
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At Edmonton Public Schools, students need a Google account to access Google Workspace for Education. The division also licences platforms like Mathlethics, Raz-Kids, WeVideo, Pear Deck, and SmartLearning.
Spokeswoman Kim Smith said in an email third-party apps and platforms must be reviewed by the school to ensure that they are being used for educational purposes and that they meet the requirements under the FOIP Act. Schools must notify parents and have FOIP consent.
Edmonton Catholic Schools spokeswoman Christine Meadows also noted in an email that the division has policies safeguarding privacy and data protection, and it is legislated under FOIP.
Users are unable to download unapproved software on school devices.
“Our teams also regularly review our security and privacy policies and standards, including division specialists specifically working in these fields. In addition, our students are assigned a non-identifiable email address and work on secured software through Microsoft and Google,” she said.
lijohnson@postmedia.com
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