FTC to crack down on companies that illegally surveil children learning online

The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it will crack down on education technology companies if they illegally surveil children when they go online to learn. In a new policy statement adopted today, the Commission made it clear that it is against the law for companies to force parents and schools to surrender their children's privacy rights in order to do schoolwork online or attend class remotely. "Students must be able to do their schoolwork without surveillance by companies looking to harvest their data to pad their bottom line," said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. The policy statement underscores that, even as companies across the economy become more aggressive in harvesting and monetizing individuals' data, ed tech providers cannot do the same: Ed tech providers must comply fully with all provisions of the COPPA Rule. Prohibitions Against Mandatory Collection: Companies cannot require children to provide more information than is reasonably needed for participation in an activity. Ed tech providers are prohibited from retaining children's personal information for longer than is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected and therefore cannot keep such data just because they might want to use it in the future. Ed tech providers must have procedures to maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of children's personal information.