Microsoft Pledges To Safeguard Student Privacy, Will Google Join?

The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) today introduced a Pledge to safeguard student privacy regarding the collection, maintenance, and use of student personal information. The Pledge was developed by the FPF and SIIA with guidance from the school service providers, educator organizations, and other stakeholders following a convening by U.S. Representatives Jared Polis (CO) and Luke Messer (IN).

Microsoft has joined this club to safeguard student privacy.

Student data should be used to improve education and help kids learn, not for other commercial purposes, like targeting kids with advertising. We’re proud to be among the companies announcing today a clear and public commitment to protect the privacy and security of information about school children.

The commitments are intended to detail ongoing industry practices that meet and go beyond all federal requirements and to encourage service providers to more clearly articulate these practices.

The Pledge will hold school service providers accountable to:

• Not sell student information
• Not behaviorally target adverting
• 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.

I wonder Google will ever join this program given the fact that they use Google Apps for Education data to target advertisings to students. Yes, it includes scanning student email.