(Washington, D.C., Wednesday, January 13, 2021) – Technology has made being “in school” possible this school year. As we head into the Spring semester in the age of COVID, technology continues to play a major role in education as experts continue to address digital privacy along with digital equity.
Students’ access to dedicated devices and reliable internet access varies significantly across income levels. To respond to these inequities — a part of the broader digital divide — teachers report that during the pandemic, schools provided tablets, laptops, or Chromebooks at twice the rate they did prior to the pandemic, an illustration of schools’ attempts to close disparities in digital access.
Meanwhile, parents continue to be concerned about protecting their children’s digital privacy and their children’s potential vulnerability to data breaches and other safety risks. Parents feel limited by their ability to monitor their kids’ data privacy.
Alexandra Reeve Givens, president and CEO, Center for Democracy and Technology, discusses the research commissioned to better understand the complexities surrounding students’ digital privacy and equity.
Alexandra Reeve Givens is CDT’s President & CEO, and an advocate for using technology to increase equality, amplify voices, and promote human rights. At CDT, Alex leads a diverse team that is putting democracy and individual rights at the center of the digital revolution. Alex serves on the Board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and is a mayoral appointee on D.C.’s Innovation and Technology Inclusion Council. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
CDT is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., and Brussels, Belgium, that works to strengthen individual rights and freedoms by defining, promoting, and influencing technology policy and the architecture of the internet that impacts our daily lives. Founded in 1994, CDT promotes democratic values by championing policies, laws, and technical designs that empower people to use technology for good and insisting online platforms be transparent, accountable, and respect human rights. Information about CDT is available at www.cdt.org.