A privacy advocacy group from Austria has filed two complaints against Microsoft on Tuesday, claiming that the company’s educational software, which is extensively utilized in schools, infringes on children’s rights to data protection.
According to the Vienna-based European Center for Digital Rights, often known as Noyb (“None of Your Business”), youths throughout Europe are subjected to the claimed infractions, which it said were growing in tandem with the increased use of online learning.
The group claims that when schools use the Microsoft 365 Education program, they have no method of monitoring and safeguarding pupils’ data, thus they want Austrian officials to look into and penalize the US computer giant.
Maartje de Graaf, a data protection attorney at Noyb, stated in a statement that “even a qualified lawyer can’t fully understand how the company processes personal data in Microsoft 365 Education because Microsoft provides such vague information.”
“It is almost impossible for children or their parents to uncover the extent of Microsoft’s data collection.”
Furthermore, according to Noyb, Microsoft 365 Education set up cookies that gather browser information and use it for advertising, a practice that probably affects hundreds of thousands of students throughout Europe.
A representative for Microsoft stated that the business “thoroughly… protects the privacy of our young users” and that its software complies with “applicable privacy laws”.
Max Schrems, an online privacy campaigner, created Noyb, which has filed numerous lawsuits against major tech companies, frequently resulting in regulatory agencies taking action.
With the passage of the EU’s historic General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which aims to give individuals more control over how businesses use their personal information, the group got to work in 2018.
Data privacy attorney Maartje de Graaf of Noyb has voiced concerns about the stance taken by software providers such as Microsoft. She pointed out that although Microsoft transfers the onus of exercising rights to schools, it retains all the relevant data about data processing in its software, making it impossible for schools to meet their duty to provide information and be transparent.
De Graaf pointed out that schools would be required to audit Microsoft or provide them instructions on how to manage students’ data under the existing Microsoft-imposed approach, which she called an untenable situation.
She saw it as an attempt on Microsoft’s part to abdicate accountability for children’s data. Noyb claims that it is a hassle to figure out which privacy policies or papers relate to Microsoft 365 Education. Users and schools are allegedly forced to navigate a maze of privacy regulations, paperwork, agreements, and contracts due to a lack of openness.
