Overview
Big History Project was formed to create and offer free educational content, including a year-long high school social studies course, to teachers and their students in an online classroom format, and to adult learners through the public site. The policy affirms student users are not able to interact with other users except their assigned teacher. The policy states student user accounts are not visible to other users or to the public. The policy specifies Big History Project collects personal information such as name, email address, profile information, account information from third parties integrated with the site, IP address, and usage information. Furthermore, the policy confirms data may be shared with service providers and with third party advertising services, although targeted ads are not served within the site. The policy specifies student users may not connect their accounts to social media sites; however, the policy does state teachers and adult users may register their accounts using social media accounts.
The policy states Big History Project does not sell or rent personal information to third parties. The policy states the publicly accessible portion of the site does not require an account. However, teachers and students who are using the site as part of their coursework, must register for an account. The policy states student accounts are linked to their teacher’s account, who facilitates their access and use of the site. In addition, the policy is not clear if children under 13 are intended to use this product, beacause the policy states users under 13 are not allowed to create an account and that teachers may facilitate accounts for children under 13. The policy also confirms the teacher assumes responsibility for consenting on the student's behalf for the collection of information.
Big History Project can be accessed through its website. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use used for this evaluation can be found on Big History Project’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 says that while student users are not able to interact with others on the site other than their teachers, teacher accounts are able to interact with others and post on community forums.
Privacy
The policy does not specify that the company limits the collection of information; however the policy does state that Big History Project limits the collection of information for targeted advertising purposes in regards to student users. The policy states Big History Project uses third party analytics providers who may collect information from users and their usage of the site. The policy states Big History Project may disclose information for operation, management, improvement, research and analysis purposes. In addition, the site uses third party advertising services to serve targeted ads to teachers on other sites. The policy specifies that information shared with third parties will be governed by this privacy policy and must be used only to operate or improve the services. The policy confirms personal data may be transferred in the event of a company transfer or merger, without notice to the user or consent. However, the policy does confirm that third parties who receive personal information from a transfer or merger are contractually required to provide the same level of privacy compliance.
Security
The policy states the service may, but is not required to verify user identity. The policy does not indicate that multi-factor authentication is used to protect user accounts either. The policy confirms Big History Project employs data encryption for data in transit, but it is not clear if encryption is used for data in storage.
Compliance
The policy specifies that students may submit coursework to the site, but that students are not able to post, message, or otherwise interact with other users besides their teacher on the site. However, the policy states teacher profiles are viewable to the public and teachers have the ability to post on public forums. The policy states users may access, update or delete their account at any time by signing in to the site and clicking on the account access page. Users should note the policy states, Big History Project may retain user information indefinitely, or as long as legally required or allowed, except for personal information relating to student users. If a user's account is canceled, BHP may, but is not obligated to delete the personal information and may continue to use or disclose it in accordance with the policy.
Overall Score
Every privacy rating includes an overall score. A higher score (up to 100%) means the product provides more transparent privacy policies with better practices to protect user data. The score is best used is as an indicator of how much additional work a person will need to do to make an informed decision about a product.
| Basic Score | Full Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Assessment | 67 | 40 |
Concerns
The privacy evaluation process summarizes the policies of an application or service into concern categories based on a subset of evaluation questions that can be used to quickly identify particular practices of a vendor’s policies. These concerns are composed of evaluation questions that can be used to calculate scores relative to that concern.
| Concern | Basic Score | Full Score |
|---|---|---|
| Data Collection: Protecting personal information | 50 | 35 |
| Data Sharing: Protecting data from third parties | 100 | 70 |
| Data Security: Protecting against unauthorized access | 67 | 50 |
| Data Rights: Controlling rights to data | 88 | 55 |
| Data Sold: Preventing sale of data | 75 | 30 |
| Data Safety: Promoting responsible use | 83 | 25 |
| Ads & Tracking: Prohibiting the exploitation of users' decision making process | 43 | 30 |
| Parental Consent: Protecting children’s personal information | 50 | 30 |
| School Purpose: Following student data privacy laws | 100 | 50 |
| Individual Control: Controlling data use | NA | 30 |
Statutes
Each statute or regulation is associated with one or more evaluation questions. As such, we can calculate scores for each statute or regulation using only those questions associated with the statute or regulation. Each specific statute or regulation's score serves as an indirect proxy indicating the likelihood of the application or service satisfying all of its compliance obligations.
| Statute | Basic Score | Full Score |
|---|---|---|
| California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) | 69 | 58 |
| Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) | 64 | 49 |
| Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) | 86 | 56 |
| Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA) | 80 | 62 |
| General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) | 67 | 44 |
| The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) | 60 | 44 |
Privacy Policy Details
1: Transparency
1.1: Policy Version
- Privacy policies do indicate a version or effective date.
- Privacy policies do not indicate a change log or past policy version is available.
1.2: Policy Notice
- Users are notified if there are any material changes to the policies.
- Privacy policies indicate the method used to notify a user when policies are updated.
1.3: Policy Changes
- Unclear whether users are notified prior to any material changes to the policies.
- Changes to the policies are effective immediately and continued use of the product indicates consent.
1.4: Policy Coverage
- Privacy policies indicate the products that are covered by the policies.
1.5: Privacy Contact
- Users can contact the company about any privacy policy questions, complaints, or material changes to the policies.
1.6: Policy Principles
- Privacy policies do indicate privacy principles, layered notices, or a table of contents.
1.7: Policy Language
- Privacy policies are not available in multiple languages.
1.8: Intended Use
- Unclear whether intended for children under 13.
- Intended for teens.
- Intended for adults over 18.
- Intended for parents or guardians.
- Intended for students.
- Intended for teachers.
2: Focused Collection
2.1: Data Collection
- Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
- The categories of collected personally identifiable information are indicated.
- Geolocation data are collected.
- Unclear whether this product collects biometric or health data.
- Interactions, behaviors, or usage analytics data are collected.
- Unclear whether this product collects sensitive data.
- Data is automatically collected.
2.2: Data Source
- Personal information or education records are collected from preK-12 students.
- Unclear whether this product collects personal information from children under 13 years of age.
2.3: Data Excluded
- Unclear whether specific types of personal information excluded from collection.
- Unclear whether specific types of collected information are excluded from the privacy policy.
2.4: Data Limitation
- Unclear whether the collection or use of data is limited to product requirements.
3: Data Sharing
3.1: Data Shared With Third Parties
- Collected information is shared with third parties.
- Unclear whether the categories of information shared with third parties are indicated.
3.2: Data Use by Third Parties
- The purpose for sharing a user's personal information with third parties is indicated.
- Data are shared for analytics.
- Data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
- Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
3.3: Data Not Shared With Third Parties
- Unclear whether there are specific categories of information that are not shared with third parties.
3.4: Data Sold to Third Parties
- Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
3.5: Third-Party Data Acquisition
- Personal information about users is obtained from third parties.
3.6: Third-Party Links
- Unclear whether links to third-party external websites are age-appropriate.
3.7: Third-Party Data Access
- Unclear whether third parties are authorized to access a user's information.
3.8: Third-Party Data Collection
- Personal information of users is collected by a third party.
3.9: Third-Party Data Misuse
- Unclear whether personal information can be deleted from a third party.
3.10: Third-Party Service Providers
- Third-party services are used to support the product.
- The roles of third-party service providers are indicated.
3.11: Third-Party Affiliates
- Unclear whether the categories of third parties that receive data are indicated.
3.12: Third-Party Policies
- Unclear whether links to privacy policies of third-party companies are available.
3.13: Third-Party Data Combination
- Unclear whether company may combine data with additional data from third-party sources.
- Data shared with third parties can be combined with other data.
3.14: Third-Party Authentication
- Third-party login is supported.
- Personal information from third-party login providers is collected.
- Unclear whether personal Information is shared with third-party login providers.
3.15: De-identified or Anonymized Data
- 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.
3.16: Third-Party Contractual Obligations
- Contractual limits are placed on third-party data use.
- Unclear whether contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
4: Respect for Context
4.1: Data Use
- Unclear whether use of information is limited to the purpose for which it was collected.
- The context or purpose for which data are collected is indicated.
4.2: Data Combination
- Combined information is treated as personally identifiable information (PII).
4.3: Data Notice
- Unclear whether notice is provided if the context in which data are collected changes.
4.4: Data Changes
- Unclear whether consent is obtained if the practices in which data are collected change.
4.5: Policy Enforcement
- Accounts may be terminated if users engage in any prohibited activities.
5: Individual Control
5.1: User Content
- Users can create or upload content.
5.2: User Consent
- Unclear whether opt-in consent is requested from users at the time personal information is collected.
5.3: Remedy Process
- Unclear whether a grievance or remedy mechanism is available for users to file a complaint.
5.4: Data Settings
- Unclear whether users can control the use of their information through privacy settings.
5.5: Data Disclosure
- Unclear whether users can opt out from the disclosure or sale of their data to a third party.
- Unclear whether users can request to know what personal information has been shared with third parties.
- Notice is provided in the event the company receives a government or legal request for a user's information.
5.6: Intellectual Property
- Unclear whether users retain ownership of their data.
- Unclear whether a copyright license is claimed to data or content collected from a user.
- Unclear whether any copyright license to a user's data is limited in scope or duration.
6: Access and Accuracy
6.1: Data Access
- Processes to access or review user data are available.
- Methods are available to restrict who has access to data.
- Processes to review student data are available for the school, parents, or students.
6.2: Data Integrity
- The company does not attempt to maintain the accuracy of data they collect.
6.3: Data Correction
- Processes to modify data are available for authorized users.
- Processes for the school, parents, or students to modify inaccurate student information are available.
- Unclear whether the time period for the company to modify inaccurate data is indicated.
6.4: Data Retention
- A data-retention policy is available.
- Exceptions to the data retention policy exist.
6.5: Data Deletion
- Unclear whether this product deletes data when no longer necessary.
- Unclear whether a user's data are deleted upon account cancellation or termination.
- Unclear whether a user can delete all their data.
- Processes for authorized users to delete data are available.
- Unclear whether the time period for the company to delete data is indicated.
6.6: Data Portability
- Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to download their data.
- Unclear whether a user can assign an authorized account manager or legacy contact.
7: Data Transfer
7.1: Data Handling
- User information can be transferred to a third party in the event of a merge, acquisition, or bankruptcy.
- Unclear whether users are notified if their information is transferred to a third party.
7.2: Transfer Request
- Unclear whether user information can be deleted prior to its transfer to a third party.
7.3: Onward Contractual Obligations
- Third-party transfer is contractually required to use the same privacy practices.
8: Security
8.1: User Identity
- Unclear whether a user's identity is verified with additional personal information.
8.2: User Account
- Unclear whether this product requires account creation.
- Managed accounts are available.
- Unclear whether multi-factor account protection is available.
8.3: Third-Party Security
- Unclear whether third-parties with access to information are required to provide the same security protections as the company.
8.4: Data Confidentiality
- Reasonable security practices are used to protect data.
- Employee or physical access to user information is limited.
8.5: Data Transmission
- All data in transit are encrypted.
8.6: Data Storage
- Unclear whether all data are stored in an encrypted format.
- The company is clear what jurisdiction a user's personal information is subject to.
8.7: Data Breach
- Notice is provided in the event of a data breach.
8.8: Data Oversight
- Unclear whether this product performs data-privacy and/or security-compliance audits.
9: Responsible Use
9.1: Social Interactions
- Users can interact with trusted users.
- Users can interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
- Unclear whether profile information must be shared for social interactions.
9.2: Data Visibility
- Personal information can be not displayed publicly.
- Unclear whether this product allows users to control how their data are displayed to others.
9.3: Monitor and Review
- 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.
9.4: Report Content
- Unclear whether users can filter or block inappropriate content.
- Unclear whether users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
9.5: Internet Safety
- Unclear whether the company provides links to resources that support safe and appropriate social interactions.
10: Advertising
10.1: Company Communications
- A user can receive service- or administrative-related communications from the company.
10.2: Traditional Advertising
- Unclear whether this product displays traditional or contextual advertisements.
10.3: Behavioral Advertising
- Personalised advertising is not displayed.
10.4: Ad Tracking
- Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
- User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
- Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
10.5: Filtered Advertising
- Unclear whether ads displayed to children are filtered for inappropriate content.
10.6: Marketing Communications
- Unclear whether this company can send marketing messages.
- Unclear whether this company provides promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
10.7: Unsubscribe
- 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.
10.8: Do Not Track
- Company does not respond to "Do Not Track" or other opt-out mechanisms.
- Unclear whether the company provides a method for users to opt-out from third-party tracking.
11: Compliance
11.1: Children Under 13
- Unclear whether company has actual knowledge that personal information from users under 13 years of age is collected.
- The company does not provide a section, heading, or separate policy for children in their policies.
- Unclear whether this product restricts or prohibits account creation for users under 13 years of age.
11.2: Students in K–12
- 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.
11.3: Parental Consent
- Parental consent is required before personal information is collected or disclosed.
- Unclear whether this product limits parental consent with respect to third parties.
- Unclear whether this product allows parents to withdraw consent for the further collection of their child's information.
- Children's personal information is deleted if collected without parental consent.
- Unclear whether this product provides parental consent notice and method for submission.
- Parental consent obligations are transferred to the school or district.
11.4: Legal Requirements
- The legal jurisdiction that applies to the laws governing the policies is indicated.
- Unclear whether a user is required to waive the right to a jury trial, or settle any disputes by arbitration.
- Unclear whether a user is required to waive the right to join a class action lawsuit.
- A company will disclose personal information to law enforcement.
11.5: Certification
- Unclear whether the company has signed a privacy pledge or received a privacy certification.
11.6: International Laws
- Unclear whether a user's data are subject to International data transfer or jurisdiction laws.
- Unclear whether the company has indicated it is a Data Controller or Data Processor.