Google recently admitted that it did track the personal data of students, but it claims that it did so exclusively for educational reasons.
In January, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) sent Google a long list of questions regarding the company's policy on collecting and using students' personal data. Google replied with a seven-page letter, explaining that its ever-growing presence in educational software has nothing to do with commercial matters.
Not anymore, that is.
The lengthy letter, signed by Sue Molinari, Google's vice president for public policy and government relations, notes that Google refrains from using K-12 students' personal info in order to push targeted ads. However, the company tracks data from students so it can improve its own educational products.
When students who are logged in their Google Apps for Education account or use Google services, they are being tracked by the company. Such services could be, but are not limited to Google Search, Blogger, Google Docs and Calendar.
Franken, the ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, says that Google's reply was "thorough," and that he is appreciative of the company's engagement in the issue. Still, he wants to get more specific answers about the privacy policies that apply to students' data.
In response, a Google spokesperson says that the company is at Franken's disposal, should he have more questions on the subject.
Google affirms that it refuses to sell the personal data of students to third parties, and adds that disclosure of personal information happens under strict circumstances. One such case could be a legal warrant that would make the disclosure mandatory.
In his letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Franken states his commitment to the "fundamental right to privacy," explaining that parents and students should be aware of when, if or how their data are being gathered and used.
To Target Or Not To Target Ads
Aside from asking Google whether or not it targeted ads at students before, Franken asked the company if it did so in the past. Google didn't give a straight answer, but says that ads in educational services were "always off by default."
The company adds that since 2014, an "additional step" was taken so that administrators can no longer switch on the ads.
In April 2014, Google faced a lawsuit where it was accused of illegally scanning emails of students in order to send them targeted ads. The company underlines in a blog post that it "permanently removed all ads scanning" in its email service for schools.
Privacy advocates interpret this part of the blog post as Google's tacit confession to scanning student emails for commercial gains in previous years.
Nate Cardozo, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, sees a similar pattern in the recent letter. He notes that the Molinari-signed letter is the first time that Google unambiguously says that it does not use targeted ads for K-12 students. Cardozo speculates that Google might have done so in the past, and has only recently changed its practices.
