New legislation aims to 'better safeguard' Ontario student information from being used inappropriately: province

The provincial government says it plans to introduce regulatory changes that aim to “better safeguard” student information from being “stolen or used inappropriately.”

In a news release issued Thursday, the province said new legislation would “prohibit the misuse of data created by children and youth engaging with schools and children’s air societies.”

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Very few details about the new legislation were provided, but the province said future regulations could include “age-appropriate standards” for programs used by students on laptops at school, as well as “strengthened standards” for software procured by schools to prevent student information be used or sold for “predatory marketing” by third parties.

“The evolving online world provides many opportunities for children’s education and growth but there are risks to their privacy and the collection and use of their personal information,” Todd McCarthy, the minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, said in a written statement.

“Our government wants our children to have a healthy, safe and age-appropriate digital experience when engaging with public sector organizations like schools which is why we are safeguarding their best interests by putting guardrails in place to better protect them.”

The province has vowed to collaborate with school boards, parents and other stakeholders to ensure the appropriate protections are introduced “without affecting the quality of education or interfering with schools’ ability to choose the right tools for the classroom.”

“The province will also consult with social media and tech industry experts, along with law enforcement, on ways to further crack down on cybercrimes and cyberbullying, trafficking and online victimization of children, as well as safeguards on access to age-appropriate web material and workarounds on software exploits in schools,” the news release continued.

“Work is also underway to continue bolstering guardrails and safeguards to ensure artificial intelligence is used responsibly in the public sector, including schools.”