U.S. SENATE – On the same day Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify before the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees after a data leak on the social network that is estimated to have impacted 87 million users, U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure proper safeguards are in place to protect students’ privacy.
Daines spoke on the Senate floor to urge his Senate colleagues to support the bill.
Download the video HERE.
“Today our children’s most personal information is stored on their computers and smart devices,” said Daines. “As a father of four children, I understand the importance of making sure kids, parents and schools have the power to safeguard kids’ private information.”
The Safeguarding American Families from Exposure by Keeping Information and Data Secure (SAFE KIDS) Act protects student privacy by establishing clear parameters for third-party operators when using data collected from students. The legislation empowers parents to control access to their children’s information.
The current federal protections for student data, including the tools currently available to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), are inadequate. The SAFE KIDS Act empowers the FTC to oversee and enforce collection, storage and usage of covered information.
More information on the SAFE KIDS Act can be found HERE.
The full text of the legislation can be viewed, HERE.
Statement of Support:
“We have a responsibility to protect student privacy and student data as technology becomes an increasingly important tool in the classroom. This requires strengthening partnerships between families and schools. At the OPI, we work to protect student privacy every day and I thank Senator Daines for his efforts to keep students safe at the federal level.” – State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen
Background:
On February 2, 2016, Daines sought to affirm the importance of kids’ data privacy by recognizing February 17, 2016, as Digital Learning Day.
On July 16, 2015, Daines introduced the SAFE Kids Act to ensure proper safeguards are in place to protect kids’ data.
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