"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power." - Thomas Jefferson 1820

"There is a growing technology of testing that permits us now to do in nanoseconds things that we shouldn't be doing at all." - Dr. Gerald Bracey author of Rotten Apples in Education

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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Privacy Freedom Fighters Honored at EPIC. Senators Rand Paul and Ron Wyden Included as Champions of Freedom.

Focusing public attention on emerging privacy and civil liberties issues



I was fortunate to attend the Electronic Privacy Information Center's (EPIC) dinner in Washington DC to honor individuals fighting for individual privacy rights.  From EPIC’s Champion of Freedom Awards Dinner 2013 Washington, DC:

Join Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) for the annual Champion of Freedom Awards Dinner

2013 Honorees: Sen. Paul Rand (R-KY), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Martha Mendoza of the Associated Press, and Susan Grant of the Consumer Federation of American.

Lifetime Achievement Award to Hon. David Flaherty Author, Professor, Privacy Official, and Advocate.

I was able to meet Senator Paul and give him Missouri Education Watchdog's concerns on privacy issues.  Please contact Senators Paul and Wyden and thank them for their concern and work on privacy matters. 

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To: Senator Rand Paul
From: Gretchen Logue and Anne Gassel
            Missouri Education Watchdog and Missouri Coalition Against Common Core
Date: June 3, 2013
RE: Common Core issues and data gathering
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Dear Senator Paul:

I was here in town to hear you speak and I want to pass on information regarding data gathering and privacy concerns in the public schools.  The US Department of Education provided funding for states to set up longitudinal data P20 systems to track individual students from Preschool through age 20 or into the workforce.   Subsequent to setting these data systems up, the USDOEd through the regulatory process changed FERPA which previously provided privacy protection for this data.  Those changes now        allow this data to be shared with various Federal agencies and private entities.   As you are aware, EPIC has filed a challenge to this regulatory action. 

As it stands, parents have no control to question the gathering of this data or its review on their minor children.  There is no process in place to ensure its accuracy.  Future policy based on this data becomes highly suspect.  In addition, security breaches to this sensitive data can compromise a child’s credit rating before they even have a chance to get a credit card.  Inaccurate data can also impact a student’s academic path.  Parents are gravely concerned about this situation given the manner personal data was used in the current IRS decisions for non-profit status to certain groups.   Data in the wrong hands can become a weapon.

Enclosed please find several articles about data gathering, educational data systems and the government’s blatant personal disregard for personal privacy:
  • 04.15.13 MEW article on tracking infants from 24 hours old in Illinois via the Illinois Data Warehouse  System.
  • 05.26.13 MEW article on teacher advising students of their Constitutional right not to answer questions about their alcohol and drug use which would be tracked individually and revealed to school personnel.  The teacher was disciplined for mentioning this refusal should be protected under the 5th Amendment. 
  • 05.21.13  MEW article on the dangers of gathering individual student data from a clinical psychologist.  It should be noted that a waiver from HIPAA was granted to the school districts with the changes in the FERPA law.
  • The Georgetown Law Journal looked at privacy concerns related to government collection of student data.  At no point in its review did the Journal make the case that the government had a right to collect the data, only that government had the desire to collect the data. We believe the government has an obligation to demonstrate a right to collection of individual personal data that can impact a child from the day he/she is born.

We appreciate you signing Senator Grassley’s letter and we encourage you to work for legislation to re-establish the original intent of FERPA.   Thank you for your attention to this matter.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Gretchen Logue
 Anne Gassel

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Please consider a donation to EPIC for the work it does to protect individual privacy concerns.






Posted by at 3:42 PM
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2 comments:

  1. GrumpyJune 5, 2013 at 6:45 PM

    Looks like people have been paying attentions to all your hard work -- Beck last week, Paul this week -

    Not too shabby-- You guys have mere than earned the respect and recognition you're starting to get..

    Keep it up

    ReplyDelete
  2. freespeakJune 5, 2013 at 9:38 PM

    "security breaches to this sensitive data can compromise a child’s credit rating before they even have a chance to get a credit card. Inaccurate data can also impact a student’s academic path. Parents are gravely concerned about this situation given the manner personal data was used in the current IRS decisions for non-profit status to certain groups. Data in the wrong hands can become a weapon."

    You summed that up perfectly.
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

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