EFF: ‘Think of school monitoring software as deep surveillance tool’

United States schools claim they install AI-powered monitoring software on students’ devices and accounts to safeguard their safety. In reality, the software may do more harm than good.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an international nonprofit digital rights group, refers to a recent and comprehensive RAND research study.

Researchers found that whenever monitoring software sounds alarm, for example when a student visits a website on suicide, violence, guns or drug abuse, schools often alert law enforcement agencies to deal with it. However, officers aren’t trained to deal with mental crises with pupils, which can lead to disastrous results.

So why are schools still using monitoring software to protect their students’ civil rights, safety and privacy? According to experts, it’s because these technical solutions are easier to implement than effective social and mental measures, for which schools don’t have the resources due to budget constraints.

“Edtech companies market largely unproven plug-and-play products to educational professionals who are stretched thin and seeking a path forward to help kids. Is it any wonder why schools sign contracts which are easy to point to when questioned about what they are doing with regard to the youth mental health epidemic?,” the EFF thinks out loud.

The interest group says we should be aware of the fact that any search term, keystroke, private chat and photograph is being monitored by schools.

“Millions of students across the country don’t have to imagine this deep surveillance of their most private communications: it’s a reality that comes with their school districts’ decision to install AI-powered monitoring software such as Gaggle and GoGuardian on students’ school-issued machines and accounts.”

Students who object to this level of school surveillance, there are ways to regain your privacy. The EFF recommends students to fully turn off all school equipment when they’re not being used, to leave their devices at school in a locker when they’re not needed at home, to not log in to personal accounts on school-issued devices, and to not log in to school-controlled accounts on personal devices.

Lastly, the digital rights group advises students not to hack or remove any monitoring software, unless their school specifically instructs them to. If they do, that may result in significant consequences from their school or law enforcement agencies.

The EFF calls out to schools to focus on creating a safe and positive educational environment, rather than subjecting students to ever-increasing scrutiny through AI-monitoring software.