Nov 4, 2019, 2:23 PM
(From The Guardian) Fears of school shootings have fueled rapid growth in the market for technologies that monitor students through official school emails and chats, looking for signs of suicidal thoughts, bullying or plans for a school shooting. Some leading educational surveillance companies now have human analysts evaluate potentially troubling student messages by examining a student’s internet browsing history and web searches. In some cases, surveillance companies may directly contact local law enforcement officials to take action and share data with them.
School officials say they use surveillance technology to save lives. But schools are monitoring students’ digital documents for a wide range of content, from swear words to nude images and pornography to cyberbullying to evidence of drug and alcohol use. Privacy experts warn that pervasive monitoring may hurt children, particularly for students with disabilities and students of color, who already face a disproportionate share of harsh disciplinary measures. “The idea that everything students are searching for or everything that they’re writing down is going to be monitored by their school can really inhibit growth and self-discovery,” Natasha Duarte, a policy analyst at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said.
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