Software group launches student privacy pledge

The software industry is making moves to beef up privacy protections for students.

The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) joined with the Future of Privacy Forum, a think tank, on Tuesday to announce a new pledge for companies that make products for students in kindergarten through 12^th grade.

{mosads}Under the pledge, a handful of companies have promised not to sell student information or target their ads based on students’ behavior. Companies will also only use data for specific educational purposes and will impose limits on how long that information is held.

“These commitments clearly and concisely articulate a set of expectations that parents and education officials have for the safeguarding of children’s sensitive data,” Future of Privacy Forum executive director Jules Polonetsky said in a statement ahead of the announcement.

“The pledge will enhance the trust between families, schools and third party service providers necessary to support the safe and effective use of student information for student, teacher and school success,” he added.

The industry initiative came after a joint push from Reps. Luke Messer (R-Ind.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.).

This summer, the two lawmakers called for companies, parents and teaches to come together and draft new rules of the road for dealing with students’ data, so that their privacy is not jeopardized.

“Ensuring the right balance between privacy and innovation in education is a critical, bipartisan issue that will pave the way for the next generation of students to thrive,” the two wrote in a June op-ed in Real Clear Education.