EDUC 639: Security of Data

The security of personal data and privacy for students have become vitally important for educational institutions. With the increasing use of technology in classrooms and the massive amount of data that is now collected, it is crucial to ensure that students' information is kept safe.

One of the primary concerns is the risk of data breaches, which we seem to hear in the news almost on a monthly basis. These leaks can lead to potential identity theft (not a joke) and fraud. With the increased technology in the classroom, some of these technologies involve utilizing third-party applications and trusting the capabilities of these apps to protect our data and the info of our students.

A report from the Government Accountability Office (2020) discusses the potential vulnerabilities in K-12 data security, emphasizing the need for increased measures to protect that sensitive information.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) recommends a framework to protect student data, but there are no mandated security controls. Because nothing is mandated, the schools themselves have to take their own proactive steps to create a policy for data security.

Here are the top recommendations for implementing best practices for student privacy and data security. They are very similar to recommendations we are often given in different websites. First, utilize a strong password and multi-factor authentication. Next, encrypt any sensitive information, outlook and some other email systems have encryption options depending on how your company has the license set up. Third, check to make sure protocols get updated and software gets it’s updates. Fourth is to provide training for the importance of data protection and the process to protect data, like ensuring what makes a strong password strong vs weak. Finally, regular audits, the password app on iphones regularly checks and lets you know if your passwords have shown up on leaked websites, some similar checks should be done to ensure that data is still private with occasional password updates, and to ensure that your company or school is still compliant with security recommendations.

 

According to the Pew Research Center (2023), there is growing public concern over data privacy risks, this concern will likely increase the need for more regulations and government laws to ensure that all possible defensive measures are taken with regard to data security and privacy. New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) already play a large role in the process of criminals attempting to access our information so we need to figure out how to make sure that these new technologies can benefit us as well with new ideas for security measures (like how Jarvis was re-writing the security codes in Avengers: Age of Ultron).

 

Government Accountability Office. (2020). Data security: Recent K-12 data breaches show that students are vulnerable to harm (GAO-20-644). Retrieved from https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-644

Pew Research Center. (2023). Views of data privacy risks, personal data and digital privacy laws in America. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/10/18/views-of-data-privacy-risks-personal-data-and-digital-privacy-laws/