Children at risk from new data

[TheABB]

The privacy of vulnerable children who leave mainstream education will be put at risk by a plan to collect and store more of their data, a coalition of charities, leading child rights' academics, campaigners and teachers has warned.

The Alternative Provision census expansion starts on January 18, 2018. Pupils and parents will not be asked for consent. There is no option to refuse.

“New data protection law is in parliament, and while the government talk about giving children’s personal data special protections, and privacy by design, their actions do not,” the letter states. “We must see safeguards put in place to uphold children’s rights."

The sensitive data record one of eight reasons for transfers for children, who move from mainstream school into alternative education. More detailed special educational needs information will also be collected for each child at national level, including labels for autism, hearing and visual impairment, learning difficulties, and other disabilities.

These data are not for the care of the child the data are already collected for this purpose at local level but for re-use at national level by third parties.

Data released to third parties from pupil databases since 2012 has been identifying, not anonymous, including for commercial re-use by busineses, consultancies, Think Tanks and use by journalists.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/dec/24/plan-collect-data-excluded-pupils-lifelong-risk-stigma

For more info see: defenddigitalme.com/alternative-provision-census/