This post is from guest blogger Amber Lindsay, President & CEO of iKeepSafe. iKeepSafe is a trusted partner of Veracity Verification Solutions.
This past year presented an array of unique challenges and opportunities, when over 40 million K12 students moved to some form of distance learning and more than 30 million of those relied on digital resources for learning. With this new opportunity comes great responsibility for ed tech companies to protect children’s personal information and build trust with parents and educators.
In addition to federal data privacy regulations like COPPA and FERPA, the policy landscape across all fifty states is working to react and catch up to the increased adoption rate and reliance on online learning tools. Vendors need access to privacy and security professionals to maintain a competitive edge in ed tech, but legal fees are often too high for emerging companies, and consequences for noncompliance are costly. Educators also need ways of easily knowing that the tools they are bringing into school are safe and legal. It is for these reasons that going beyond the privacy policy and getting a third-party data privacy certification for education technology products is so important.
iKeepSafe’s privacy experts will help find solutions to the most challenging privacy issues. Once assessed and certified the ed tech provider will be awarded an iKeepSafe Certified badge and an official listing on the iKeepSafe Certified Product page, showing the world that it meets the highest standards of privacy for student users while at the same time building trust.
Here are just a few of the benefits to a third-party data privacy certification:
Data privacy certification protects a school’s technology product investment with assurances that can only come from a trusted third-party review.
An ed tech vendor’s privacy policies and practices might already be top-notch, but schools are seeking assurance by a trusted third party. How can they know that the policy matches the practices of the business? How can they be sure that a company knows all the ins and outs of the changing landscape of data privacy laws? Undergoing the iKeepSafe Data Privacy Certification vetting process communicates to educators, parents, and school systems that a product not only complies with state and federal policy, but also a rigorous standard of excellence.
A good privacy policy doesn’t necessarily ensure that a product is prepared for educational use. Products collecting student data have specific legal requirements, so privacy policies that work well for general consumer use may not adhere to the needs of these laws. Through the privacy certification process, any discrepancies in policy are found and corrected, ensuring peace of mind for users.
Data privacy certification demonstrates transparency of student data practices.
According to data privacy regulations, education technology products must include a clearly written, accurate and easily accessible privacy policy explaining what data is collected from or about students, how the data is used and stored, and to whom it may be disclosed and why.Once the certification process is complete, the certified vendor is displayed on iKeepSafe’s website in a sortable database, allowing educators to pre-screen for products that have already been certified as compliant.
Data privacy certification simplifies the purchasing process for schools by helping to save time, build confidence and trust between schools and ed tech companies.
An educator’s time is at a premium. Along with providing excellence in educating students, they are now required to cull through thousands of technology options to support their curriculum. Teachers and IT administrators need quick and solid ways to know that an ed tech product is trusted. Having a data privacy certification provides just the time saving information that educators need.
iKeepSafe’s data privacy certification badges allow vendors to demonstrate their ongoing compliance with federal and state privacy and security laws. Having the iKeepSafe certification badge on a website or product assures schools can rely on certified products to adequately safeguard the privacy of student data.
Working with iKeepSafe
A designated COPPA Safe Harbor non-profit organization, iKeepSafe has been working with technology companies, educators, parents and children since 2005. We provide a professional, personal, and thorough process that ensures compliance with data privacy laws and regulations. Our process is simple, cost effective, and trusted by a massive network of education stakeholders.
Given the importance of student data privacy and the changing landscape of data privacy regulation, it’s never been more important to make sure your product is in compliance with data privacy laws and regulations. For more information on data privacy laws, see our FERPA 101 and COPPA 101 pages, and our FAQ page.
Author: Amber Lindsay
President & CEO, iKeepSafe
