In our increasingly connected world, technological advancements have continued to cement connected devices as essential resources for K-12 learning. As the volume of these purchases continue to grow, educators have been faced with a greater need for cyber security. In an effort to safeguard families from infringements related to big data and privacy in public services, President Obama announced a modification to his 2012 comprehensive blueprint for consumer privacy, the BuySecure initiative, to include privacy protections for American students & families.
“At Mimio, we put privacy first,” said Dan Winkler, Mimio Chief Technology Officer. “We do everything in our power to protect student privacy and information. We never have and never will use student or teacher information to market to students or teachers.”
It was with this in mind that over 70 companies, Mimio included, joined together to pledge to "enhance privacy for students" by providing parents, students and educators with "important protections" against data misuse. The Software & Information Industry Association and the Future of Privacy Forum backs this pledge. In addition to Mimio, numerous leading companies including Apple, Microsoft, and textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt have signed the pledge. Specifically, the Student Privacy Pledge will hold school service providers accountable to:
- Not sell student information
- Not behaviorally target advertising
- Use data for authorized education purposes only
- Not change privacy policies without notice and choice
- Enforce strict limits on data retention
- Support parental access to, and correction of errors in, their children’s information
- Provide comprehensive security standards
- Be transparent about collection and use of data
“We do use anonymous user data to continuously improve upon our products, but the key word is ‘anonymous.’” Winkler said “Signing on to the Student Privacy Pledge is a public declaration of what our policy always has been and always will be to protect student privacy.”
