Authored by PIPC Staff

Comparing Definitions of “Social Media Platform” in KOSMA

Authored by PIPC Staff, Blogs, Featured Resources, Legislative Analysis, New Resources, PIPC Resources, Recommended Resources / By /

Comparing Definitions of “Social Media Platform” in KOSMA The Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA),* introduced on May 1st, is a bipartisan bill that combines Senator Schatz’s Protecting Kids on Social Media Act and Senator Cruz’s Eyes on the Board Act. According to the press release, KOSMA aims to: “Prohibit children under the age of 13 from creating or maintaining social media accounts, consistent with the current stated policies of major social media companies; Prohibit social media companies from pushing targeted content using algorithms to users under the age of 17; Provide the FTC and state attorneys general authority to […]

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House Improves KOSA, but Major Problems Persist for Schools

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House Improves KOSA, but Major Problems Persist for Schools May 2024 Katherine Kalpos, Morgan Sexton, and Amelia Vance       CC BY-NC 4.0 Introduction On April 9, 2024, Representative Bilirakis released the text of the House version of Senator Blumenthal’s Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The bill, which is fundamentally based on valuable goals and principles, includes many positive revisions to better align with KOSA’s underlying goal to protect kids online. However, concerns remain that it may create major unintended consequences for schools. In particular, KOSA may limit the ability of schools to effectively implement edtech into instruction and

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Comparing Requirements for Schools Under E-Rate & KOSMA

Authored by PIPC Staff, Blogs, Featured Resources, Legislative Analysis, New Resources, PIPC Resources, Recommended Resources / By /

Comparing Requirements for Schools Under E-Rate & KOSMA The Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), introduced on May 1st, is a bipartisan bill that combines Senator Schatz’s Protecting Kids on Social Media Act and Senator Cruz’s Eyes on the Board Act. According to the press release, KOSMA aims to: “Prohibit children under the age of 13 from creating or maintaining social media accounts, consistent with the current stated policies of major social media companies; Prohibit social media companies from pushing targeted content using algorithms to users under the age of 17; Provide the FTC and state attorneys general authority to

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From Data Privacy to Discrimination: Examining the Legal Ramifications of AI in Schools

Articles, Authored by PIPC Staff, Featured Resources, Legislative Analysis, New Resources, PIPC Resources, Report / By /

From Data Privacy to Discrimination: Examining the Legal Ramifications of AI in Schools April 2024 Morgan Sexton and Amelia Vance       CC BY-NC 4.0 Introduction The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere at the moment – and schools are no different! While using AI to improve systems and educational outcomes for students is an exciting prospect, it should be done carefully and with consideration for the legal landscape. AI in education is subject to a myriad of education, child privacy, consumer, and civil rights laws. We’ve created this brief to provide an overview of the

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Higher Education Voices: College Students’ Attitudes Toward Data Privacy

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Higher Education Voices: College Students’ Attitudes Toward Data Privacy October 25, 2021 Jasmine Park and Amelia Vance Future of Privacy Forum     Shared Under Creative Commons License Executive Summary A popular belief is that people who have grown up using digital technologies have little concern for the privacy of their data. This belief is particularly concerning because many in this age group live much of their academic and personal lives online, and some data holders have used this belief to justify inadequate privacy practices. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced many colleges and universities to transition to online learning,

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Student Privacy Primer

Authored by PIPC Staff, Featured Resources, PIPC Resources, Recommended Resources / By /

Student Privacy Primer Juliana Cotto, Edith Mandinach, Amelia Vance, Jim Siegl, Anisha Reddy, Tyler Park, and Jasmine Parks This primer explains the concepts of student data, including who uses the data and why they use it; data privacy in general; student data privacy; student data privacy risks and harms; how student data privacy relates to data ethics and data equity; key federal privacy laws; key district and school policies; and what it means to foster a culture of privacy. Each of these sections and a concluding section list additional resources to help education stakeholders learn more about student data privacy.

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Youth Privacy and Data Protection 101

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Youth Privacy and Data Protection 101 April 1, 2021 Jasmine Park and Amelia Vance Future of Privacy Forum   Shared Under Creative Commons License It is estimated that one-third of global internet users are under the age of 18. As digital technologies increasingly mediate nearly all facets of their lives, including their education, young people encounter unique opportunities and risks online. It is imperative to ensure that well-meaning but perhaps rushed efforts to protect youth from risks do not significantly limit their access to valuable opportunities. Rather, these efforts must both protect and empower young people while allowing them to gradually develop

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Teaching privacy and ethical guardrails for the AI imperative in education

Authored by PIPC Staff, Featured Resources, PIPC Resources, Recommended Resources / By /

Teaching Privacy and Ethical Guardrails for The AI Imperative in Education Evan Selinger & Amelia Vance Originally published by the NSW Department of Education Future EDge, Issue 3 December 2020 Introduction In 1956 computer scientist John McCarthy coined the phrase ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) to describe ‘the science and engineering of making intelligent machines’ (McCarthy, 2007). Over time, the term has evolved to cover a variety of technologies, including ones widely used in education, from plagiarism detectors to voice-activated virtual assistants leveraged to enhance campus information distribution and classroom pedagogy (Arizona State University, 2018). Contemporary AI discussions are about ‘a variety

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Student Privacy and Special Education: An Educator’s Guide During and After COVID-19

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Student Privacy and Special Education: An Educator’s Guide During and After COVID-19 August 04, 2020 Lindsey Barrett and Amelia Vance National Center for Learning Disabilities & Future of Privacy Forum   Shared Under Creative Commons License COVID-19 has disrupted education and has forced schools to pivot quickly to a distance learning approach, which is often virtual. Using virtual learning products comes with concerns about student privacy, including for students receiving special education and related services. Federal privacy laws don’t explicitly address how to handle every situation, but concerns about privacy should not be a barrier to serving students as best

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Student Privacy’s History of Unintended Consequences: Lessons Learned and Key Principles for Student Privacy

Authored by PIPC Staff, Report / By /

IV. LESSONS LEARNED AND KEY PRINCIPLES FOR STUDENT PRIVACY Previously published in the Seton Hall Journal of Legislation and Public Policy IV. LESSONS LEARNED AND KEY PRINCIPLES FOR STUDENT PRIVACY The unintended effects discussed above are emblematic of the challenges that privacy legislation has posed in the last decade, echoing many issues that arose when the U.S. Congress passed FERPA in 1974. For legislators, this history offers more than a cautionary tale; it suggests specific lessons and principles that policymakers can use to change the trajectory of future privacy legislation. For example, some of the student privacy laws were passed hastily

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