Tracking student data raises concerns in Indiana

Hacked School Database Graphic

The Indianapolis Star reports on a new, massive student database program being created in Indiana and how the benefits could be overshadowed by data privacy concerns.

After reading the law passed in March to create this giant database, Indiana University law professor Fred H. Cate, director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research at the Indiana University Mauer School of Law in Bloomington said:

“There are a lot of problems here. I have a lot of questions about if they are taking the necessary steps to build privacy and security into these systems from the start.”

Kentucky is creating similar systems, so the discussion north of our border is worth considering here, too. Certainly, the recently concluded legislative session provides evidence of unease with our state’s digital data security among Kentucky’s law makers. Two new laws, House Bill 5, and House Bill 232 added new data protection requirements. But, the question remains, in this day of rampant identity theft and rapidly increasing amounts of more extensively cross-linked government held data on all citizens, do these bills go far enough?