Digital Privacy: “The College Board is Sharing Student Data Once Again”

From Consumer Reports:

For millions of students, the College Board is the gatekeeper to higher education. And according to a Consumer Reports investigation, the organization uses that role to collect and share information on those students—despite apparent promises to the contrary.

The nonprofit company owns and operates the SAT test. It also administers the Advanced Placement exams high school students take to earn college credit and strengthen their applications. And when you create an account on collegeboard.org to register for the SAT, sign up for an AP test, or research colleges and scholarships, the College Board sends details about your activity to at least seven tech companies that profit from advertising.

The list includes Adobe, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Snapchat, Yahoo, and an advertising network called AdMedia.

The personal information was relayed to these companies in a manner that appears to violate specific privacy promises made by the College Board. In some cases, it also appeared to be linked to ads for products and services beyond the organization’s scope.

fter we contacted the College Board with our findings, the company made some tweaks to its site, but the underlying problem remains.

Learn More, Read the Complete Report (approx. 1300 words)

Filed under: Data Files, News, Reports