New Utah law protects student privacy after BYU research found K-12 apps were collecting and sharing data
BYU researchers found that K-12 educational technology apps were collecting and sharing student data in ways that violated privacy obligations, according to a report prepared for the Utah State Board of Education. The findings prompted Utah to pass new legislation tightening privacy requirements for EdTech vendors operating in the state.
Why this matters: Kids in K-12 schools do not choose the apps their schools hand them. Their parents often do not know what those apps collect. The BYU findings suggest EdTech vendors were not holding up their end of the deal, and schools had limited visibility into what was happening with student data. Utah's new law is a direct response to that gap. It matters because children's data is not like adult data — it is collected in a setting where participation is mandatory, which makes the obligation to protect it higher, not lower.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · General readers · Policy
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