Students' Right to Privacy
There is a reasonable right to privacy experienced in
the United States. The two primary laws
that protect students’ rights to privacy are the Children’s Online Privacy
Protection Act (COPPA) and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
(Li, 2020). With the increased use of technology in all educational settings,
there has been a shift in the relationship between students and privacy. It is important
to teach students at a young age about online privacy and safety through digital
citizenship instruction, so they can understand the complexity of the issue (Finkelhor
et al., 2021).
It is important for educators to protect student information
and right to privacy online. With many schools shifting to online learning during
spring of 2020 and continuing with online or hybrid models the following school
year due to COVID-19, there has been an increase in the amount of
education-surveillance technology use which has raised concerns for student privacy
(Li, 2020). From face-detecting and eye-tracking software used during
assessments to “Zoombombing” online classes to being required to unmute or turn
on their camera during synchronous learning, the issue of student privacy must
be addressed as the rise in online learning is likely to persist.
References
Finkelhor, D., Jones, L., & Mitchell, K. (2021).
Teaching privacy: A flawed strategy for children’s online safety. Child Abuse
& Neglect, 117. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105064
Li, T. (2020). Privacy in pandemic: Law, technology,
and public health in the COVID-19 crisis. https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/973
