Everg Ever the
10
Privacy in th
Limits on Technology Use at Greenh
Saara Bidiwala, Jothi Gupta On Monday, Nov. 16, at 6:28 p.m., a Greenhill student typed into their school-issued computer: “what’s bad about cutting down trees?” One day later, Director of Technology Scott Rosa received what is known as a “red-flag” alert from monitoring software. The trigger: the use of the word “cutting.” Three years ago, Greenhill began using a technology called Linewize, a self-described content filtering and monitoring tool. In the Nov. 16 incident, the alert that Rosa received was deemed an inaccurate flag that didn’t require followup. Meanwhile, each keyboard stroke of Greenhill-issued student devices is scrutinized by the Linewize artificial intelligence software. The digital surveillance that students face highlights a larger national and international debate over privacy in the digital age. That debate is coming into sharper focus as Greenhill proceeds with a program aimed toward having every student use a school-owned device. Digital monitoring is common at U.S. schools, privacy experts say. Greenhill administrators say the monitoring is a crucial component of the school’s efforts to ensure the health and well-being of students. Still, student and parental awareness of the extent of the monitoring may be limited, Rosa said. “I can understand why this might make some students unhappy,” said Head of School Lee Hark. “We all value our privacy and don’t like it when it’s limited. Unfortunately, the world we live in necessitates some degree of monitoring the traffic on our network – for safety and security, but also to help ensure student well-being. And in the latest iteration of our laptop rollout, these devices are school property. At this point, most adults are used to these kinds of restrictions in the workplace.”
!
Technology Overview The global debate over digital privacy has also raised questions about the ethics of tracking software used by educational institutions. In the past decade, many schools in Texas have invested in tracking software to maintain network security and ensure student well-being. Schools often cite the proliferation of inappropriate content and cyberbullying as justifications for this infrastructure. Software has gotten progressively more sophisticated with the development of technology, too. Commonly used student monitoring software programs include Gaggle, GoGuardian and Social Sentinel. These software programs have the capability to review Google documents, track browsing history and scan social media posts. Many social media apps and websites track and sell user information when their services are used. Hark says that losing some amount of privacy when individuals are operating under a specific organization or corporation is a reality of living in the 21st century. “We have an audit and risk management committee on the board, and cybersecurity is one of that committee’s main focuses and concerns,” Hark said. “Schools have increasingly become targets of cyberattacks. Because of that, we can’t continue to allow students or faculty employees to have unfettered access to whatever they want during the school day on our network. College and universities don’t allow it, and there’s no other job in the world where you’re going to be allowed to do that.” Nonetheless, there are rising concerns about the privacy lost when the software is applied. In Montclair, New Jersey, more than 700 people have signed a petition begun last year by parents protesting the use of GoGuardian monitoring of students in the Montclair Public School District. Some of the people who share these concerns are parents. Many student
I can understand why this might make some students unhappy. We all value our privacy and don’t like it when it’s limited. Unfortunately, the world we live in necessitates some degree of monitoring the traffic on our network – for safety and security, but also to help ensure student well-being. And in the latest iteration of our laptop rollout, these devices are school property. At this point, most adults are used to these kinds of restrictions in the workplace.”
privacy advocacy organizations are actively fighting for legislation to be passed that allows parents to have more transparency with the data schools have on their children because of monitoring software. ”Citizens for Public Schools members, including many parents, are deeply concerned about threats to the privacy of student information,” Executive Director of Citizens for Public Schools Lisa Guisbond said in a press release for the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy. “We support hearings and strong legislation to protect the privacy of this data.”
That was in 2014, as this issue was gaining greater public attention. Eight years later, the debate has become even more complicated and intense
Situation at Greenhill Greenhill has followed a similar trend, introducing a school-owned device policy for students two years ago. New school-issued laptops come equipped with the Linewize monitoring software. Over the next two years, all students will be equipped with school-issued laptops. Faculty members already use school-issued devices. “This is not a public network,” Rosa said. “This is a private network owned by the school. We have an obligation to the students and families to protect their data.” The software is the second of what Rosa refers to as “layers” of security.