Dive Brief:
- Changes to Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 10, have raised questions about how well students’ usernames for education technology and potentially other sensitive information are protected.
- A new feature of the system means the default mode results in the collection of information like students’ logins for popular instructional websites or tutoring programs.
- That information is then stored on company servers, though Microsoft representatives say the information is used solely for refining users’ experience and not ad-related purposes.
Dive Insight:
Windows is a popular operating system for schools, but administrators and school leaders may want to be sure they know what data will be collected and how secure it will be. Robert Moore, who heads up privacy initiatives for the Consortium for School Networking, told Education Week that IT departments and district leaders should be sure to read the fine print on the product and talk to company representatives. Those concerns will have to be weighed against the utility of the product.
"At some point, it comes down to your gut sense that a particular website or application has high value, so you want [schools] to use it, or it's not that valuable, so maybe they should find something else,” he said.
