Photo by J.E. Kaplan
At-Large Councilmember David Grosso introduced a bill yesterday that would protect the digital privacy of students in the District. He will discuss the “Protecting Students Digital Privacy Act of 2016” at a news conference today hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.
Among other things, the legislation prohibits school officials from tracking students’ school-issued devices when used off school grounds. It also bars school officials from requiring students to provide usernames and passwords to personal social media accounts. Students would also not be required to show any other data from a device to a school official.
“The guiding principal for protecting Americans’ privacy in 2016 is the same as it was in 1776: Get a warrant, get permission, or get out,” said Councilmember Grosso in a statement.
In terms of safeguarding students, Grosso has encountered schools and vendors who “have a belief that students leave their right to privacy at the schoolhouse door, and the only way to truly educate a young person is to have absolute control and constantly monitor their inputs and outputs,” Grosso’s Chief of Staff Keenan Austin told DCist. “He stands firmly against those who have little or no regard for student privacy, and also the notion that vendors should have unfettered access to sell, analyze, or share the data they receive from our students.”
While Grosso’s team doesn’t have specific incidences wherein DCPS students’ privacies were violated, he has introduced the bill to “ensure student protections,” Austin said.
At the present time, DC Public Schools does not have a comment on the legislation because they haven’t had a chance to read the bill, said Michelle Lerner, DCPS spokesperson, “though we look forward to learning more.”
Across the country, the ACLU has organized 17 simultaneous announcements today involving “a diverse, bipartisan coalition of elected officials and citizens,” according to a release. “The message from these collective actions by the states and the District of Columbia is clear: where Congress is unwilling or unable to act to protect Americans’ privacy, or takes actions that are insufficient, the states and the District of Columbia are more than willing to step up and fill the void.”
