Franken Releases Google Letter on Concerns Over Student Data Collection Practices
Google provided a seven-page response explaining its K-12 student data collection practices, in response to concerns of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., that the company was using such data for noneducational purposes. Franken publicly released Google's Feb. 12 letter Tuesday, which…
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addresses several questions he posed in a Jan. 13 letter to the company. While Google's response was "thorough," Franken said in a news release he's "still concerned about what exactly Google does with the information it collects and processes from students who are browsing outside websites -- like YouTube -- while logged in to Google’s education services." He said he's interested in whether the company can provide stronger privacy protections to parents and students such as an opt-in for data collection. The Electronic Frontier Foundation in December filed a complaint with the FTC, alleging Google was collecting and data mining the personal information of school children (see 1512010068). The privacy group alleged the company's cloud-based software programs called Google Apps for Education (GAFE) and its "sync" feature for the Chrome browser essentially tracked students without getting their or their parents' permission. In its letter to Franken, Google explained how GAFE and the Chrome sync feature are used by schools, what data is collected, privacy policies and how schools and parents can control such data. The company said no student-related data is shared with third parties "except in a few exceptional circumstances," which are outlined in the GAFE agreement and privacy policy.