The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) issued the following statement today on behalf of SIIA Senior Director, Education Policy Sara Kloek regarding today’s vote by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) adopting a policy statement prioritizing the Commission’s enforcement of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) as it applies to the use of education technology.
“We applaud the FTC for prioritizing the issue of student privacy in today’s open meeting. The FTC’s policy statement is helpful in reiterating what has long been required by COPPA, FERPA, and many student privacy laws at the state level: that education technology providers must prioritize data minimization, security, and use restrictions. These are key priorities for SIIA members.
“We believe it is important to hear from the public when taking steps to protect student privacy. We look forward to continuing to participate in the rule review process that the FTC began in 2019.”
Kloek addressed the FTC prior to the vote outlining the landscape of student data privacy laws and practices. She also highlighted the collaboration between SIIA and others in the education privacy space to formulate best practices and policies to protect student privacy.