College Life and Privacy

There are approximately 18 million students enrolled in degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. Globally, that number balloons to 235 million students.

And as technology evolves, it finds its way into today's college campus life one way or another. But is it always for the betterment of students? Can college students maintain their privacy during a period in their life that seems so exposed?

In this episode of Privacy Files we take a look at some of the common risk exposures college students face when it comes to protecting their personal data.

To facilitate our discussion, Connor joined us in-studio to provide his unique perspective as a senior at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

We begin the episode by examining the controversial practice of remote proctoring. Exploding during the pandemic, remote proctoring became commonplace for college students taking exams. But what has alarmed privacy advocates is the practice of requiring students to use their webcam to remotely scan their room prior to the start of testing.

In 2022, after a Cleveland State University student filed a lawsuit against the school, U.S. District Court Judge J. Philip Calabrese agreed that room scanning was unconstitutional, stating that the student's "privacy interest in his home outweighs Cleveland State’s interests in scanning his room.”

Connor then shares his experiences with remote proctoring and webcam room scanning while attending the University of Utah during the pandemic.

Sarah then talks about how the remote proctoring industry is growing. She cites a research study forecasting that the online exam proctoring market will reach nearly $4 billion by 2032, up from $742 million in 2022.

Rich addresses the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and how this federal law protects the privacy of student education records.

From group projects and communications apps to submitting schoolwork and Greek life, we give you a sense of the privacy risks today's college students face while pursuing their education.

Links Referenced:

https://twitter.com/mysudoapp/status/1554894893125980161?s=46&t=mZ7hpkIc8fcEa7z7a9HKIQ

https://mysudo.com/2021/08/college-students-top-10-reasons-to-use-mysudo-this-year/

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/2/data-privacy-in-higher-education-yes-students-care

https://studentprivacycompass.org/resource/higheredvoices2021/

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/protecting-college-student-data/

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2021/09/20/should-college-students-be-able-opt-out-data-sharing

https://blogs.blackberry.com/en/2023/04/cybersecurity-and-the-future-workforce

https://www.unco.edu/college-bound-colorado/digital-privacy-as-a-college-student.aspx

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-08-25-college-s-use-of-exam-proctoring-software-to-scan-rooms-violated-privacy-rights-judge-finds

https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat-higher-education/2023/02/remote-proctoring-california-colleges/

https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/05/22/2673436/0/en/18-5-CAGR-of-Online-Exam-Proctoring-Market-to-Gain-USD-3-881-0-Million-by-2032-Market-us.html

https://mycampusdirector2.com/assets/pdf/privacy.pdf

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com