School security programs spy on children at home on personal devices, the results of the study

The school is back in session, but here is something that no one told you to the orientation: your children can have more eyes than those of their teachers. Even if you don’t have children at school, you really need to know.

A new study by the UC San Diego revealed what is really going on with these student safety tools that schools buy. Do you know, those who are supposed to stop intimidation, report mental health difficulties and prevent school fire? Well, they turned into 24/7 surveillance machines.

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Get this: 86% of companies that provide these services monitoring children day and night, not only during school hours and not only on school devices. It is each Google search, each message, sometimes even at home on personal phones and laptops.

Almost a third of these companies give children “risk scores” depending on what they hit or are looking for. The botter? 71% rely on AI to report behavior. Yes, an algorithm decides if your child is “risky”.

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Imagine that your child writes an email that they never send and that this project is folded in the database of certain surveillance companies. This is exactly what happened to this teenager who was suspended. Creepy does not even start to cover it.

📱 Yes, they also look at home

About 36% of companies monitor devices belonging to students. All you need is an application, a plug-in or software required at school.

The Youtube binges at the end of the evening, private DMs and publications on social networks could trigger a red flag on a dashboard.

📌 Questions that each parent should ask the school

I think these tools can do a lot of good. God knows that we no longer want school shootings or children who slide through the meshes of the net.

Prevent Google from following each of your movements

School security programs collect emails, messages and students’ web activity on their personal devices. (Photo of Sebastian WillNow / Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

But you and your children must understand exactly how they work and what happens to data. Copy these questions and send an email to the school administrator or organize a meeting in person.

1. Does our school use the Gotguardian, the bark, the gaggle, the farm, the light speed or any other online surveillance service? What exactly do they follow?
2. Do you watch personal devices at home?
3. What happens if my child is reported? How can I see my child’s dashboard?
4. How long is the students’ data stored and can parents request deletion?
5. Is students’ data ever sold, shared or used for something beyond follow-up?

Make sure your children know that everything they do on a school device is a fair game. And depending on the configuration, their personal phone or your laptop could also be followed. These systems can protect, but they also raise major questions about confidentiality and surveillance.

Does this happen with your child’s school? Send me a note. I would love to tell you about it.

Prevent data brokers from selling your information online

Students must assume that school security programs monitor their devices. (Kirk Sides / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

🚸 Know someone with children? Share this important information with them now.

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