TERM 3, 2020
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
17
Digging into data privacy In their hasty bid to deliver online learning, schools may be unwittingly putting their students in the way of damaging long-term data privacy complications, digital security experts have warned. Here’s how to do your due diligence to ensure your staff and students are safe online.
BY SARA H DUGGA N
“Now as a user, or as a teacher, you can’t be both-
COLIN Anson, CEO of pixevety – a child image
ered by that. But from a school leader’s perspec-
protection and photo storage solution for schools
tive, they must have done their due diligence first
– says that many school leaders may fail to grasp
on the application.
the fact that popular platforms used for online learning, like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Canvas,
“If you don’t understand how to use these servic-
actually link with many other companies – and
es, you’re opening yourself up to a whole lot of
that this presents a real issue when it comes to
pain. And quite often schools don’t,” Anson says.
ensuring data privacy. It should not be left up to individual teachers to “When you start doing a bit of due diligence
look into these kinds of specifics either, he asserts.
into the product itself, you start to realise that
Nor should it be OK for educators to pick and
they actually connect to multiple other services
choose digital tools on a whim.
and share information. So, for example, I think Canvas has close to 24 companies that it shares
“It’s hard for teachers, because ... they’re not IT
data with.
professionals, nor should they be. So schools need
