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Privacy Evaluation for Blooket

Last updated

Overview

Blooket provides an online game-based, learning tool used to increase classroom engagement. The policy states users may interact while using the service; in addition, teachers and students are able to message each other on the site. The policy does not indicate if Blooket moderates interactions between users. The policy indicates Blooket requests a minimal amount of personal information including first and last name, username, email address, IP address, and if opting for a subscription account, payment information; student users are only required to submit a username. The policy states Blooket shares data in limited circumstances with third party service providers to perform tasks such as sending emails, database management services, database hosting, providing customer support software, and security. The policy confirms Blooket does not sell or rent any personal information to any third party for any purpose. The policy states Blooket is an ad-free service and will not advertise in any form on the site; it also confirms personal information is never used or disclosed for targeted or third-party advertising.

Furthermore, the policy affirms Blooket does not track its users over time or across third-party websites to provide targeted advertising. The policy confirms Blooket implements physical security measures and limits employee access in addition to employee background checks and privacy training. Lastly, the policy indicates the intended users of the Blooket service are teachers, students, and parents; the policy does not specifically indicate an age range of the intended student users, but does indicate that users under the age of 13 must provide verifiable parental consent.

Blooket can be accessed through its website. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use used for this evaluation can be found on Blooket’s website. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.

SAFETY

The policy states that user generated content may be displayed or used publicly; however, no student profiles are made available to the general public. Additionally, the policy states Blooket has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor, edit, or remove any user content.

PRIVACY

The policy states Blooket uses analytics services which may collect, store, and use information. The policy states Blooket is supported by third party service providers including: Amazon Web Services, Google Services, Cloudinary, Mongodb, and Stripe. The policy does not indicate if any third party, social or federated login is supported when using Blooket. The policy states third parties may collect data using tracking technologies but it does not state for what purpose.

SECURITY

The policy indicates data encryption is employed for data in transit and at rest. Additionally, the policy confirms affected users will be notified in the event of a data security breach.

COMPLIANCE

The policies confirm users (teachers) are able to post content including photos or Question Sets intended for educational purposes. The policy confirms Blooket users may access, correct, update, or delete personal information in their profile by signing into their Blooket account. The policy states Blooket may retain information in back up copies, even after account deletion, for up to 18 months. The policy does not indicate a time frame for when Blooket deletes data from inactive accounts.

Rating

This product received a Warning rating based on the following details:
  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is not displayed.
  • Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is not used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
Data Collection
SCORE: 40%

What data does it collect?

  • Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
  • The categories of collected personally identifiable information are indicated.
  • Collection or use of data is limited to product requirements.
  • Geolocation data are collected.
  • Unclear whether this product collects biometric or health data.
  • Unclear whether this product collects interactions, behaviors, or usage analytics data.
  • Unclear whether this product collects sensitive data.
  • Data is automatically collected.
  • Unclear whether opt-in consent is requested from users at the time personal information is collected.
  • Personal information of users is collected by a third party.
Data Sharing
SCORE: 60%

What data does it share?

  • Collected information is shared with third parties.
  • Unclear whether the categories of information shared with third parties are indicated.
  • The purpose for sharing a user's personal information with third parties is indicated.
  • The categories of third parties that receive data are indicated.
  • Unclear whether data are shared for analytics.
  • Unclear whether data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
  • Third-party services are used to support the product.
  • The roles of third-party service providers are indicated.
  • Unclear whether this product supports third-party login.
  • Contractual limits are placed on third-party data use.
Data Security
SCORE: 80%

How does it secure data?

  • Unclear whether a user's identity is verified with additional personal information.
  • Account creation is not required.
  • Managed accounts are available.
  • Unclear whether multi-factor account protection is available.
  • Third-parties with access to information are required to provide the same security protections as the company.
  • Reasonable security practices are used to protect data.
  • Employee or physical access to user information is limited.
  • All data in transit are encrypted.
  • All data are stored in an encrypted format.
  • Notice is provided in the event of a data breach.
Data Rights
SCORE: 85%

What rights do I have to the data?

  • Users can create or upload content.
  • Users retain ownership of their data.
  • Processes to access or review user data are available.
  • Processes to modify data are available for authorized users.
  • A data-retention policy is available.
  • Processes for authorized users to delete data are available.
  • A user's data are deleted upon account cancellation or termination.
  • Data are deleted when no longer necessary.
  • Methods are available to restrict who has access to data.
  • Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to download their data.
Data Sold
SCORE: 45%

Is the data sold?

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether users can opt out from the disclosure or sale of their data to a third party.
  • User information can be transferred to a third party in the event of a merge, acquisition, or bankruptcy.
  • Users are notified if their information is transferred to a third party.
  • Unclear whether user information can be deleted prior to its transfer to a third party.
  • Third-party transfer is contractually required to use the same privacy practices.
  • Unclear whether user information that is shared is shared in an anonymous or de-identified format.
  • Unclear whether the company describes their de-identification process of user information.
  • Unclear whether data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
  • Contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
Data Safety
SCORE: 15%

How safe is this product?

  • Users can interact with trusted users.
  • Unclear whether users can interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
  • Unclear whether profile information must be shared for social interactions.
  • Personal information can be displayed publicly.
  • Unclear whether this product allows users to control how their data are displayed to others.
  • Unclear whether user-created content is reviewed, screened, or monitored by the company.
  • Unclear whether user-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.
  • Unclear whether social interactions between users are moderated.
  • Unclear whether social interactions of users are logged.
  • Unclear whether users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
Ads & Tracking
SCORE: 35%

Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Traditional or contextual advertisements are not displayed.
  • Personalised advertising is not displayed.
  • Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is not used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
  • The company can send marketing messages.
  • Unclear whether this company provides promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
  • Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to opt-out of contextual, or personalised advertising.
  • Unclear whether users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
Parental Consent
SCORE: 75%

Can I provide parental consent?

  • Intended for children under 13.
  • Personal information from children under 13 years of age is collected.
  • Intended for parents or guardians.
  • Unclear whether company has actual knowledge that personal information from users under 13 years of age is collected.
  • The company does provide a section, heading, or separate policy for children in their policies.
  • Parental consent is required before personal information is collected or disclosed.
  • Unclear whether this product limits parental consent with respect to third parties.
  • Parents can withdraw consent for the further collection of their child's information.
  • Children's personal information is deleted if collected without parental consent.
  • Parental consent notice and method for submission are provided.
School Purpose
SCORE: 50%

Is the product intended for school?

  • Intended for students.
  • Personal information or education records are collected from preK-12 students.
  • Intended for teachers.
  • Product is primarily used by, designed for, and marketed toward students in grades preK–12.
  • Processes to enter education records into the product are not described.
  • Unclear whether additional rights or protections may be provided with an additional school contract.
  • Unclear whether the company is designated as a school official.
  • Parental consent obligations are transferred to the school or district.
Individual Control
SCORE: 40%

Can I control the use of my data?

  • Unclear whether users can control the use of their information through privacy settings.
  • Use of information is limited to the purpose for which it was collected.
  • The context or purpose for which data are collected is indicated.
  • Unclear whether company may combine data with additional data from third-party sources.
  • Combined information is treated as personally identifiable information (PII).
  • Notice is provided if the context in which data are collected changes.
  • Unclear whether consent is obtained if the practices in which data are collected change.
  • Unclear whether a grievance or remedy mechanism is available for users to file a complaint.
  • Unclear whether users can request to know what personal information has been shared with third parties.
  • Unclear whether notice is provided in the event the company receives a government or legal request for a user's information.

Common Sense Standard Privacy Report (SPR)

The standard privacy report (SPR) displays all the privacy practices from a product's policies in a single, easy-to-read outline. The report shows a green check mark for better privacy practices and an orange alert for risky or unclear practices. This alert indicates that more time should be focused on these particular details prior to use.

About Privacy Evaluations

The privacy evaluations have been designed with the help and support of a consortium of schools and districts across the United States. These evaluations are designed to help educators make informed decisions about the potential privacy implications of educational technology used to support teaching and learning.

Our core evaluation criteria will always be freely available. People are encouraged to read the questions we use and our information security primer. Vendors are encouraged to use our questions and the information security primer to self-evaluate. You can also learn more about our evaluation process. Please be in touch with any questions or feedback.