Learn why digital dignity in schools is essential. Discover how student data is collected, tracked, and stored, and how schools can protect privacy while creating safe learning spaces without turning education into surveillance.
Table of Contents
Every time a student logs into their school laptop, opens an educational app, or joins an online class, their actions are being recorded. Their search history, the websites they visit, how long they spend on each assignment, and sometimes even their location are being tracked and stored by various systems and companies. Most students and parents don’t realize this is happening, and those who do often feel powerless to stop it. This invisible monitoring has become so normal in schools that few people question whether it’s actually necessary or helpful.
This is where digital dignity becomes important. Digital dignity is simply the right to be treated with respect and consideration in the online world, just as you would expect in face-to-face interactions. It means recognizing that behind every username and profile is a real person with feelings, thoughts, and a right to some level of privacy. When schools collect excessive data from students without proper consent or transparency, they are eroding this fundamental right.
The Hidden World of Student Data Collection
The scale of data collection in schools is staggering. For example, Google’s Chromebooks, widely used in schools, record every website a student visits, every search they make, which results they click on, and the videos they watch. This data is collected by default without asking permission from students or their parents. Major education technology companies collect far more information than they actually need, including personal details like birth dates, phone numbers, browsing history, contact lists, and behavioral patterns. This excessive data collection creates what experts call a “digital profile” of each child, tracking their interests, weaknesses, learning patterns, and even personal struggles.
In India, the scale of these concerns is growing rapidly. With the expansion of education technology platforms during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of new apps have entered schools without proper oversight. Many EdTech companies collect data to track student behavior, but there is significant uncertainty about how they use this information. The lack of clear regulations on data minimization means that some platforms might collect information about a student’s home environment, economic background based on device usage, or personal interests unrelated to education. This information could potentially be used in harmful ways, such as targeted advertising to children or even algorithmic profiling that affects how students are treated or evaluated.
Why This Matters for Students
Research shows that excessive monitoring actually harms students rather than helps them. When students know they are being watched, many report that they stop sharing their true thoughts and ideas. About 58% of students in schools with monitoring software say they do not express their genuine opinions because they know their activity is being tracked. This has a chilling effect on learning. Education thrives on curiosity, exploration, and the freedom to ask questions. When students are constantly monitored, they become afraid to search for sensitive topics, ask difficult questions, or explore ideas that might be flagged by automated systems.
The impact is even more troubling for vulnerable students. Schools have documented cases where LGBTQ+ students were outed to their parents without consent because monitoring systems flagged their internet searches. Students from low-income families are monitored more heavily than wealthier students who can use personal devices at home. This creates a system where vulnerable children receive the most intensive surveillance, which research has linked to increased anxiety, depression, and reduced willingness to seek help for mental health problems.
Digital Dignity in Schools
Digital dignity is about protecting students’ privacy while giving them space to learn without feeling watched. It calls for clear communication, minimal data collection, and tools that keep students safe without turning classrooms into surveillance hubs.
| Topic | Key Points |
|---|---|
| What’s Being Collected | Schools and EdTech platforms track searches, browsing history, usage patterns, and sometimes personal details. Much of this happens without clear consent. |
| Why It’s a Problem | Heavy monitoring discourages curiosity and open expression. Vulnerable students face the greatest risks, including unwanted outing or profiling. |
| Principles of Digital Dignity | Respect student privacy, limit data collection, explain what’s being tracked, and avoid treating students like suspects. |
| How Schools Can Improve | Collect only necessary data, inform families, use encryption, restrict access, and avoid sharing data with companies. |
| What Families Can Do | Ask about apps used, request transparency, and push for tools that follow privacy-first principles. |
What Digital Dignity Really Means in Schools
Creating digital dignity in education means ensuring that students understand what happens to their data and have some control over it. It means being transparent about what information is being collected and why. It means not treating students as suspects who need constant monitoring, but as individuals deserving of respect and privacy.
This doesn’t mean schools shouldn’t use technology or can’t keep students safe online. It means making thoughtful choices about what data is truly necessary for education and safety, collecting only that data, and protecting it carefully. It means getting proper permission from parents before collecting information about their children. It means training teachers to use technology responsibly. It means having clear rules about what data can and cannot be used for, and preventing companies from selling or misusing student information.
Practical Steps Schools Can Take
Schools can create safer digital spaces without turning into surveillance states. First, schools should only collect data that is actually needed for education and genuine safety purposes. If a platform wants to track everything a student does online, schools should question whether that’s truly necessary. Second, schools should make sure students and families know what information is being collected and why. A simple letter home explaining which apps the school uses and what data they collect is a basic step that many schools still don’t take.
Third, schools should use strong technical protections. Student data should be encrypted, meaning it’s scrambled and unreadable without a special key. Only teachers and administrators who actually need access to certain information should be able to see it. If a student’s health information is sensitive, it shouldn’t be visible to everyone in the school. Fourth, schools should have clear agreements with technology companies that prevent these companies from using student data for advertising or selling it to other businesses.
In India, the new Digital Personal Data Protection Act makes clear that schools must get verifiable consent from parents before collecting data from children. This isn’t just a legal requirement; it’s an opportunity for schools to rebuild trust with families by being transparent about their practices.
Building Trust Through Transparency
When schools hide what data they collect or don’t respond when parents ask questions, they create an atmosphere of distrust. When schools are open about their practices and willing to explain why each piece of data matters, they show respect for families. Schools should appoint someone to answer questions about student data and ensure that when families ask what information is being collected, they get clear, honest answers.
Education works best when students, parents, and schools trust each other. That trust breaks down when students feel they are being watched constantly and when parents don’t know what information about their children is being collected.
Taking Action
If you are a student, ask your teachers what apps you use and what data they collect. If you are a parent, look for documentation about what technology your school uses. If your school can’t explain what data is being collected and why, that’s a red flag. Request that your school review its practices and consider switching to tools that collect less data and respect privacy better.
Schools and EdTech companies should embrace what experts call “privacy by design,” building protection into systems from the start rather than adding it as an afterthought. This means designing platforms that collect only necessary data, encrypt all sensitive information, and give users control over what happens to their information.
Digital dignity in schools is about recognizing that students are people, not just data sources. It’s about creating learning environments where students feel safe enough to ask questions, make mistakes, and grow. Protecting student privacy isn’t the opposite of keeping students safe; it’s actually an essential part of creating schools where students can truly thrive.
Conclusion
Digital dignity isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation for a healthy learning environment. When schools collect more data than they need, they change how students think, explore, and express themselves. Real safety comes from giving students room to learn without feeling watched, not from turning classrooms into digital checkpoints. Schools, families, and EdTech companies all have a role here. By being transparent, limiting data collection, and putting strong protections in place, schools can earn the trust of the communities they serve. India’s new data protection law gives schools a clear chance to reset their practices and put students first. Protecting privacy doesn’t mean ignoring safety. It means focusing on what truly matters for learning and well-being. When students know their information is handled with care, they feel respected. And when they feel respected, they learn with confidence. That is the real promise of digital dignity.
Source: Spying on Students: School-Issued Devices and Student Privacy & FPF Student Privacy Train-the-Trainer Syllabus
Read Also: From Service to Innovation: India’s IT Transformation & Personal Data Protection: A Beginner’s Guide to Staying Safe Online
