Data protection should be emphasized when creating an Edtech or when signing up for an edtech app as a student or education stakeholder. Recent data compromises in the industry have created anxiousness for both developers and education stakeholders.
Edtech growth in popularity has led to experts worrying about the data safety of the students and other subscribers who use the services. The data requested by these apps is sensitive, highly valuable and can be compromised at any time. Users of these apps are made to believe that their data will be safely guarded, but this has not always been the case.
Importance of data protection
There is always a risk of signing up for a technology, which is a ticking timebomb when it comes to data protection. These edtech apps are vulnerable to being compromised by hackers and data getting accessed.
Edtech companies can also commercialize on your data to make more profits. Pete Eyre, managing director of Vevox, a live polling and student engagement app said,
“It’s everything from personal preferences, to knowledge levels, to the work [students] are physically doing that they submit through online portals. That information is owned, and it can be analyzed.
Data collection by itself is not illegal, mostly it is written in the terms and conditions which most people don’t read. The amount of your data to be used by third-party sometimes is listed in the terms and conditions.
However, a lot of students and education stakeholders do not understand that they are also signing their data off when they submit an application. The data sold by these companies are used for targetted advisements and marketing.
For instance, there are allegations that Turnitin, an antiplagiarism company which was sold recently for $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion), has been monetizing intellectual property. There were also arguments of whether the new company that acquired it will maintain ethical practices the staff practiced.
The issue of data protection in edtech technologies, therefore, should be of significance when deciding to use an edtech app. Users should ensure they know what they are signing up for and the terms for the use of their private data.
Featured image by Pixabay
