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US Sues Edmodo Over Student Data Privacy
The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against Edmodo, an online learning company, for using children’s data to target behavioral advertising. This historic move by the FTC includes a proposed $6 million fine, which is currently waiting for a final ruling. The lawsuit was filed one year after Human Rights Watch conducted an investigation that revealed how Edmodo, among other online learning products authorized by governments during the Covid-19 pandemic, infringed on children’s privacy.
Edmodo’s Controversial Growth
Edmodo was a popular website and app widely used by students from kindergarten to middle school across the US until September 2022, when the company pivoted to only sell its product to governments. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the company’s popularity grew exponentially, reporting a 1,500 percent increase in users in the first five months of the pandemic. An investigation by Human Rights Watch in May 2022 found that Edmodo was designed with the capacity to surveil children and harvest their personal data for advertising.
The FTC’s Rationale and Message
After multiple requests for comment, Edmodo told Human Rights Watch in July 2022 that it did “not share [its students’] personal data with any Edmodo business partners or third parties.” The FTC disagreed with this claim, arguing that the company had violated a privacy law that is so outdated that Senator Ed Markey, one of its authors, is seeking to replace it. The FTC lawsuit marks the first time the agency has moved to ban a company from compelling children to give up their privacy in order to learn, while also sending a strong message to others in the ed tech industry.
Lack of Child Data Protection Laws
The FTC could only build its case against Edmodo on the narrow grounds that the company had violated an outdated privacy law. President Joe Biden has twice called on Congress to pass comprehensive child data protection laws, and the Surgeon General has appealed to policymakers to compel companies to protect children’s privacy. Despite these calls to action, Congress is long overdue on its homework; it should pass strong laws protecting all children as they spend increasing amounts of their childhood online.
Advice on Child Data Privacy
Governments and companies need to work together to protect children and their privacy while they learn online. The responsibility involves designing platforms to ensure that children’s privacy is not infringed upon, and collecting data only if necessary. Our children’s privacy should be strictly respected unless there are compelling reasons for its infringement. Parents and educators need to be mindful of online learning platforms to keep an eye on how their children’s data are used. Meanwhile, policymakers should prioritize the creation and enactment of strong laws that compel online learning companies to protect student data privacy.
Conclusion
The FTC lawsuit against Edmodo sets a precedent for future lawsuits and regulations to protect children’s data privacy in online learning companies, showing the importance of monitoring both private and government-led online learning. Congress should take this opportunity to create and enforce strong laws mandating the protection of children’s privacy online. We should hold companies and authorities accountable for any infringements of our children’s privacy.
<< photo by Julia M Cameron >>