Pixevety’s privacy platform allows photos and videos to be stored and managed in one location. In the case of K-12 use, the tool would be administered by school personnel, while parents could access it to view and consent to uses of their child’s image, according to a recent news release.
“Recent litigation by American parents against social media companies should be sounding alarm bells for U.S. schools about their own obligation to protect the online privacy and security of their students,” Pixevety CEO Colin Anson said in a public statement. “Years after the E.U. (European Union), Great Britain and nations around the world imposed tough legal standards on organizations collecting data, American schools can finally access GDPR-compliant technology to safeguard their students’ photos, videos and data.”
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) governs privacy regulations in EU member countries. It defines personal data and outlines accountability measures, security requirements and penalties for non-compliance. Regarding children’s data, the law says a company or organization cannot process a child’s personal data without parental consent, though the age for consent ranges between 13 and 16 and varies among EU member states, according to the EU’s European Commission website.
Through automated face recognition technology, parents can consent to the usage of a photo containing their child by touching or clicking on the child’s face in that image.
Pixevety is also available as a mobile application, according to the company website, which notes the tool can be integrated into learning management systems and is used in more than 300 schools across eight countries.
Anson said the number of student school photos posted online and available to the public is “staggering,” and many images include full names and locations of students.
“It is time for U.S. schools to get on board with online security standards used around the world,” he said in a public statement.
The 2021 “State of Kids’ Privacy” report from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that works to promote K-12 digital citizenship, called EU’s GDPR and a corresponding U.S. state law, the California Privacy Rights Act, a step in the right direction.
“These factors (laws) prompted companies to update their policies at an unprecedented rate,” the report said.
But it also noted that this issue warrants a greater sense of urgency considering tens of millions of children are affected by online technology.
“It is vital that educators, parents and policymakers engage in an open dialog with companies to build solutions that strengthen our children’s privacy and security protections,” the report said.
