Author name: Amelia Vance

6/27/24 Kids Online Safety Act Redline

H.R. 7891 Kids Online Safety Act Redline Redline based on Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute Offered by Mr. Bilirakis of Florida prior to the canceled House Energy & Commerce Committee mark-up on 6/27/2024. Changes in purple text. Blue text is from amendments and cuts to the version introduced in the House on April 9, 2024. Green text is from changes to the Senate version of KOSA circulated on February 15, 2024. Table of Contents   TITLE I 1 –KIDS ONLINE SAFETY SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. In this title Act: (1) CHILD.—The term “child” means an individual who is under […]

6/27/24 Kids Online Safety Act Redline Read More »

6/25/24 American Privacy Rights Act Redline

American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) Redline Official version posted to Congress.gov on 6/25/2024. Changes from this draft are in purple (note different color codes in the COPPA 2.0 section). Small changes that do not have an impact (likely or substantive) on the bill may not be included as purple below, but we erred on the side of caution and colored most changes. Blue text is from amendments and cuts to the version circulated June 22, 2024 linked here. Black text below struck through is from cuts to the version circulated May 22, 2024 linked here from the version circulated on

6/25/24 American Privacy Rights Act Redline Read More »

“Fixing FERPA” Series Launched by the Public Interest Privacy Center

Press Release “Fixing FERPA” Series Launched by the Public Interest Privacy Center June 10, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Public Interest Privacy Center (PIPC) is pleased to announce the release of its new series, “Fixing FERPA,” which explores the current challenges of implementing the 50-year-old Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – the U.S.’s primary student privacy law – in modern classrooms, and proposes actionable solutions to revamp FERPA’s privacy protections for the 21st century. The “Fixing FERPA” series currently includes FERPA 101 FAQs, guides to FERPA’s Exceptions and Exemptions, and the first five critical recommendations:

“Fixing FERPA” Series Launched by the Public Interest Privacy Center Read More »

Keeping Up With Congress: Recent Federal Developments in Child and Student Privacy

Webinar: Keeping Up With Congress: Recent Federal Developments in Child and Student Privacy April 26, 2024 The child and student privacy legal and practical landscape is undergoing rapid, continual change–and we’ve seen major moves from Congress in March and April 2024! With KOSA and COPPA 2.0 poised to pass the Senate, the House introducing KOSA and COPPA 2.0 companions, and the sharing of a sweeping, bipartisan, bicameral general consumer privacy proposal, it can be hard to keep up, let alone understand the implications for education! Join the Public Interest Privacy Center (PIPC) and AASA’s Student and Child Privacy Center for

Keeping Up With Congress: Recent Federal Developments in Child and Student Privacy Read More »

EdWeek: What Schools Need to Know About These Federal Data-Privacy Bills

In the News EdWeek: What Schools Need to Know About These Federal Data-Privacy Bills April 18, 2024 PIPC President Amelia Vance is quoted in an EducationWeek article about three new bills being considered by Congress and their implications for K-12 schools. The article was reporting on an SIIA webinar that Vance participated in on April 15. Under the proposed updates to COPPA, schools would no longer need to get parental permission to use ed tech in classrooms. COPPA 2.0 would enable schools to consent on behalf of their students to provide access to ed-tech platforms schools have thoroughly vetted and

EdWeek: What Schools Need to Know About These Federal Data-Privacy Bills Read More »

PIPC Joins Letter Endorsing COPPA 2.0 with AASA, NSBA, AFT, and other members of the Federal Education Privacy Coalition

Press Release PIPC Joins Letter Endorsing COPPA 2.0 with AASA, NSBA, AFT, and other members of the Federal Education Privacy Coalition April 17, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Public Interest Privacy Center (PIPC) today joins 10 other members of the Federal Education Privacy Coalition (FEPC), a coalition of nationwide education membership and privacy-focused organizations interested in advancing principled student privacy practices, in a letter endorsing the updated version of the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) that was released on February 15, 2024, and the House companion to COPPA 2.0 that was announced on April 9, 2024.

PIPC Joins Letter Endorsing COPPA 2.0 with AASA, NSBA, AFT, and other members of the Federal Education Privacy Coalition Read More »

Webinar: Fixing Student & Child Privacy Laws: The Current Landscape

Webinar: Fixing Student & Child Privacy Laws: The Current Landscape June 8, 2023 It is shaping up to be the most active child and student privacy year in more than two decades. Between February and May, we saw child privacy mentioned in the State of the Union, discussed at three Congressional hearings, and prioritized in numerous state and federal bills. The Parents Bill of Rights passed the House and includes stunning amendments to FERPA & PPRA. To help guide stakeholders through these landscape shifts, the Student & Child Privacy Center at AASA, The School Superintendents Association and the Public Interest

Webinar: Fixing Student & Child Privacy Laws: The Current Landscape Read More »

Child Privacy Expert Warns Policymakers Must Enact Meaningful Federal Privacy Laws to Ensure Students’ Online Safety, Protect Against Dire Consequences

Press Release Child Privacy Expert Warns Policymakers Must Enact Meaningful Federal Privacy Laws to Ensure Students’ Online Safety, Protect Against Dire Consequences April 17, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public Interest Privacy Center Founder and President Amelia Vance today offered testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce during a hearing entitled, “Addressing America’s Data Privacy Shortfalls: How a National Standard Fills Gaps to Protect Americans’ Personal Information.” During the hearing, Vance urged policymakers to take action by enacting comprehensive federal privacy law that include appropriate protections for children and students who are

Child Privacy Expert Warns Policymakers Must Enact Meaningful Federal Privacy Laws to Ensure Students’ Online Safety, Protect Against Dire Consequences Read More »

Privacy Impact of the Federal Parent Bill of Rights

Privacy Impacts of the Federal Parent Bill of Rights March 16, 2023 PIPC supports the technical work of AASA’s Student and Child Privacy Center. AASA has established policy priorities specific to student and child data and privacy. This analysis is informational, and any AASA advocacy positions or nuance are available on the AASA website.  In just over a week, the Parents Bill of Rights Act(PBOR) – a bill intended to give parents more control over their child’s education – was reintroduced, marked up, and passed out of the House Education and Workforce Committee. It will be voted on by the

Privacy Impact of the Federal Parent Bill of Rights Read More »

Beyond Commercialization Concerns in Student Privacy

This week’s newsletter focuses on a new report from Human Rights Watch. I decided to write it because this report joins many others from student privacy advocates that focus nearly exclusively on commercialization risks.

When student privacy reports focus again and again on advertising technology as the major threat to student privacy, stakeholders overlook other insidious privacy harms. The likely result of the report will be a series of articles about how student privacy is in crisis and there are not enough laws and companies are bad. That may draw attention to this issue, but it also means that other really important student privacy issues could fall by the wayside.

Beyond Commercialization Concerns in Student Privacy Read More »