Arizona Student Privacy Bill SB1314 Supported By Corporations, Not Parents
BY: LISA HUDSON FEBRUARY 27, 2017
Over the last several years, student online data privacy bills have been popping up across the country with increasing regularity. This shouldn’t be a surprise as student data is extremely valuable. It’s valuable to corporations (for purposes of simplicity Google is used as an example) because it’s easily monetized and generates enormous profits. It’s valuable to parents because (quite obviously) it belongs to their children. Sometimes the information is personal and sensitive. But just as often it’s as innocuous as a link click, a search term, sites visited, or the websites saved in bookmarks.
As states are quickly passing privacy legislation, Arizona jumped on the bandwagon during the current legislative session. Senate Bill 1314, sponsored by Senator Sylvia Allen (R) LD-6, would amend Title 15, by adding §15-1046, Student data privacy; definitions. It certainly sounds good. And if it sounds good, it must be good. That is, until you read it. Not skim it, not rely on the fact it uses the word “privacy” in the heading, and certainly not because a lobbyist being paid hundreds of dollars per hour says it’s good. Because it’s not good.
In fact, it’s so not good, it’s horrible. Yet only two senators voted against it on third read on February 21, 2017: Senator Steve Montenegro (R) LD-13, and Senator Catherine Miranda (D) LD-27. Senators Montenegro and Miranda, both members of the Senate Education Committee, had also voted no in committee on February 2, 2017.
This bill needs to die quickly and here’s why….