These days, fingerprint scanners and cameras are regular parts of school life—on the ceilings watching students walk, and on their laptops analyzing their facial expressions. While surveillance tools could yield benefits for safety, performance development and security, they also raise thorny security and privacy issues.
Hackers Are Targeting Schools
Hackers will target anyone and anything, be that hospitals, the police, or other hackers. Even though the year is just getting started, schools have already faced a wave of phishing attacks designed to steal sensitive employee tax information. The IRS has called this “one of the most dangerous email phishing scams” they have seen.
On Digital Security Audits of School Districts
Select state government audits of school district IT security procedures find a concerning state of affairs. State departments of education should adopt and promulgate digital security expectations and best practices for schools, provide technical assistance and resources to districts to support implementation, and conduct regular audits to ensure compliance.