Schools use AI to monitor kids, hoping to prevent violence. Our investigation found security risks
School districts in Canada have been constantly monitoring school-issued devices for risks to student mental health and potential shootings, alerting public school teachers, sometimes without parents’ knowledge.
Gaggle Safety Management is used by 1,500 school districts to monitor for indicators of bullying, self-harm, suicide, or violence using a machine-learning algorithm. It provided Vancouver school staff - and anyone else with the correct link - access to student files including poems, college essays and interactions with AI.
These files were not protected by passwords or firewalls and student names were not redacted, exposing them to cybersecurity risks and outing LGBTQ+ students.
Publication: The Independent
Writer: Claire Bryan, Sharon Lurye