Millions of students who participated in virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic had their personal data and online behaviors tracked by educational apps and websites without their consent and in many cases shared with third-party advertising technology companies, a new report has found.
Human Rights Watch, an international advocacy organization, this week published the findings of an investigation conducted from March 2021 to August 2021 that looked into the educational services, including online learning tools, used by students all over the world when school districts shifted to remote learning.
Of the 164 products reviewed across 49 countries, Human Rights Watch found 146 (89%) appeared to engage in data practices that “risked or infringed on children’s rights.” These practices included monitoring or having the ability to monitor children without the students’ or parents’ consent, and collecting a range of personal data, according to the report, such as their identity, location, their online activity and behaviors, and information about their family and friends.
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“Children, parents, and teachers were largely kept in the dark,” Hye Jung Han, children’s rights and technology researcher at Human Rights Watch, told CNN Business. “But even if they had known what was going on, they had no choice. Children had to either use these products and pay for it with their privacy, or be marked as absent and drop out of school during COVID-19.”
Han said the majority of the apps and websites examined by Human Rights Watch sent information about children to Google and Facebook, which collectively dominate the digital advertising market.
A spokesperson for Facebook-parent Meta told CNN Business the company has policies around how businesses can share children’s data and advertising restrictions for how minors can be targeted. A Google spokesperson said it requires developers and customers to abide by data and privacy protections, and prohibits any personalized or marketing ads aimed at minors’ accounts. “We are investigating the specific report claims and will take appropriate action if we find policy violations,” the spokesperson said.
The report was shared with a consortium of more than a dozen international news outlets, including The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, and El Mundo.
Millions of students who participated in virtual learning during the Covid-19 pandemic had their personal data and online behaviors tracked by educational apps and websites without their consent.
Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project and a fellow at the NYU School of Law, said the findings add to mounting concerns around the collection of data among young people. In recent months, there has been intense scrutiny from lawmakers about the impact tech platforms have on teens.
“We already knew technologies were being abused and putting children at risk, but this report is really important because it shows the scale of harm and how the same mistake is being made by educators and governments around the world,” he said.
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a US law, policies are in place to provide broad privacy protections for student educational records and protect them from invasive online tracking.
“But schools and tech firms are circumventing the laws we’re supposed to have that make it harder for advertisers to track students and minors online,” Cahn said. “Platforms that, through loopholes, can make students some of the most surveilled individuals on the planet.”
John Davisson, director of litigation and senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, called the issue “a regulatory failure, pure and simple.” But he said he’s encouraged by the Federal Trade Commission recently warning edtech vendors about their obligations to protect children’s privacy.
Last week, the FTC announced plans to crack down on companies illegally surveilling children during online learning. “Students must be able to do their schoolwork without surveillance by companies looking to harvest their data to pad their bottom line,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. “Parents should not have to choose between their children’s privacy and their participation in the digital classroom.”
Bart Willemsen, an analyst at research firm Gartner who focuses on privacy issues, said schools and ed tech providers have a responsibility to be fully transparent about what they’re potentially doing with data, have detailed control over how it is used, and establish why the data is needed at all.
“The data must serve a purpose, but the purpose cannot be advertising,” he said. “If it is not something we do in physical classrooms, it is not something that should be part of digital school life.”
He also said the collection of this type of information could have a long-lasting impact on their children’s digital footprint, as that data is not easily erased. “Parents have a role here,” he said. “Yet in situations like these, their strongest action is to let their voice be heard.”
5 ways to stay focused while learning online
Online learning tips to boost your productivity
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many K-12 and college students alike have had to adjust to learning online. However, formal education doesn’t have a monopoly on virtual learning. There are many courses available for adults looking to expand their knowledge on subjects as varied as project management, statistics, climate resilience, and psychological first aid.
Some online courses provide professional certifications that can be helpful in the job market, especially in technical fields. Others pursue online classes in creative writing, the arts, or other subjects for the sheer joy of learning. Online learning can help people build new skills, support career growth, and introduce learners to new fields they may want to explore professionally from the comfort of their laptops.
While there are certainly benefits to online learning—like being able to take a course from anywhere in the world and learn from teachers in a different city or country—remote learning is not without its challenges. Online learning requires self-discipline to avoid the countless distractions on the internet and planned screen breaks to disconnect.
Read on to learn some helpful online learning tips to boost your productivity.
Develop a note-taking system that fits your learning style
Take care of your body—meditate, exercise, eat well, and get good sleep
It makes sense that a healthy body makes for a more alert mind that’s ready to learn. Unfortunately, in our fast-paced world, students often skip out on healthy eating and sleep hygiene. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get seven or more hours of sleep per night. To get the most restful sleep, it’s best to put away electronics at least a half-hour before bed. Getting regular exercise is also important as it enhances memory and thinking skills. Something else to consider is mindfulness meditation, which improves cognition while reducing stress and even improves self-regulation over time.
Set up a dedicated, distraction-free study environment
When taking online classes, it can be tempting to work from the couch with Netflix in the background or even from bed. However, creating a distraction-free space that’s used exclusively for studying helps your mind switch to “study mode.” By putting your other devices away, turning off the TV, and eliminating distracting background music, it’s possible to retain more information in less time. Other distractions like hunger, thirst, or tiredness can be avoided by ensuring your body’s needs are taken care of. Make sure your space has enough light, but avoid the distracting glare of sunshine through a bright window.
Create your own schedule for asynchronous courses
Some online courses have synchronous sessions where students meet virtually at a set time for a lecture, workshop, or discussion. Most online courses also have an asynchronous component where the learner can complete the coursework, reply to discussion threads, and submit assignments on their own schedule. It can be tempting to procrastinate, but creating a schedule can help prevent workloads from piling up and becoming overwhelming. Time management skills are correlated with lower levels of anxiety and better grades. Consistent scheduling also helps online learners stick to a routine and manage all areas of their lives.
Find opportunities to actively participate
Online classes make it easy to be anonymous and get by without much participation. However, students often learn more and find classes more enjoyable when they actively participate. Connecting with classmates can further learning and even forge networking opportunities down the road. Participating in discussions, asking questions, and actively listening to your teacher and other students will help you connect concepts to one another and understand the material more deeply. This sort of active participation in your online classes can also pay off down the line when you begin requesting letters of recommendation or professional references for a job.
This story originally appeared on Tovuti and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.