EAGLE SCOUT | ISSUE NO. 25-10

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NEWS | Student data collected by MS Teams without warning

21 May 2025

AUSTRALIA - Microsoft Teams secretly collected students’ voice and face data in New South Wales schools for weeks. The Education Department only found out later and deleted the data. Parents were not told right away but an investigation is now underway. Critics say this is a serious privacy breach. READ MORE

NEWS | US teen hacker pleads guilty in PowerSchool data breach

21 May 2025

USA - A 19-year-old college student hacked PowerSchool, exposing data of over 60 million students and 10 million teachers. He used stolen credentials and demanded a $2.85 million ransom in Bitcoin. Even after payment, PowerSchool admitted the data wasn’t deleted, leading to more extortion attempts. The hacker now faces up to 17 years in prison with heavy fines.  READ MORE

NEWS | AI Surveillance threatens student rights

27 May 2025

USA - Civil rights groups warn that AI surveillance in schools, like facial recognition and online monitoring, disproportionately harms Black, disabled, and LGBTQ+ students. These systems lack fairness and can lead to discrimination. Advocates urge schools to build trust and not track students. Many worry this technology violates students’ privacy and rights. READ MORE

NEWS | LAUSD students concerned about GoGuardian privacy

30 May 2025

USA – The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) uses GoGuardian to monitor students' online activity during class. However, the software tracks students' browsing history and allows teachers to control their devices. Students are now concerned about being monitored outside class hours and the potential misuse of their data. READ MORE

NEWS | Voters concerned over public display of personal data in polling precincts

20 May 2025

PHILIPPINES – In the last elections, some polling precincts displayed the Posted Computerized Voters’ List (PCVL), including names, photos, and addresses. This raised privacy concerns among voters and civil rights groups. While the National Privacy Commission investigates the practice’s compliance with the Data Privacy Act, it warns against the taking of PCVL photos without consent. READ MORE