Overview
ClassFlow describes its service as providing lesson-building tools for teachers and schools that enable creating rich and interactive content for students. The terms state the Service encourages users to avoid including personal information in user submissions and teachers should talk with their students about not including personal information. In addition, the terms state the Service does not share, sell, rent, trade, or disclose personal information about students, teachers, administrators, and parents to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes. Lastly, ClassFlow's terms state they require express consent from a parent or guardian to disclose personal information to the vendor, however, an individual teacher, school, or district is solely responsible for obtaining parental consent.
ClassFlow can be accessed through its website. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use accessed for this evaluation can be found on ClassFlow’s website. Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include: Cookie Policy. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.
Safety
The terms of ClassFlow state they encourage users to avoid including personal information in user submissions and teachers should talk with their students about not including personal information in any content. However, the terms state the Service does not monitor, review, or exercise control over a user’s submissions. In addition, the terms state a teacher has the option to participate in the ClassFlow community marketplace which gives access to lessons and materials shared by other users. Lastly, the terms specify teachers can engage in forum discussions with other teachers and upload content that is either private or public.
Privacy
ClassFlow's terms specify they collect and process only a user's information that is necessary for the purposes of providing the Service, but any information collected does not contain sensitive information. In addition, the terms state the Service does not share, sell, rent, trade, or disclose personal information about students, teachers, administrators, and parents to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes. However, the terms state the Service does use third party service providers to help provide the service, enhance the service, increase the service’s functionality, and improve a user’s experience with the service.
Security
ClassFlow's terms state they take reasonable precautions to maintain the security and integrity of a user’s personal information that it collects. Once the vendor receives a user’s information they use procedures and security features to try and prevent unauthorized access. Lastly, the terms state the Service uses industry standard SSL encryption to transfer sensitive and personal information, and stores a user’s information on a secure server behind multiple firewalls.
Compliance
ClassFlow's terms state they require express consent from a parent or guardian to disclose personal information to the vendor. The terms state that if the vendor learns they have collected personal information from a student under the age of 18 without parental consent, they will take reasonable steps to destroy the information securely and as as quickly as possible.
In addition, if ClassFlow is contacted by an authorized user such as a teacher, student, or the parent or guardian of a student to request deletion of personal information, the terms state the vendor will notify the school which has 30 days to respond to the request. However, the terms specify that an individual teacher, school, or district is solely responsible for complying with obligations of COPPA, FERPA, and obtaining written permission from a parent or guardian.
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 | 87 | 69 |
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 | 75 | 50 |
| Data Sharing: Protecting data from third parties | 75 | 80 |
| Data Security: Protecting against unauthorized access | 100 | 95 |
| Data Rights: Controlling data use | 88 | 95 |
| Data Sold: Preventing sale of data | 75 | 70 |
| Data Safety: Promoting responsible use | 50 | 45 |
| Ads & Tracking: Prohibiting the exploitation of users' decision making process | 100 | 75 |
| Parental Consent: Protecting children’s personal information | 100 | 70 |
| School Purpose: Following student data privacy laws | 100 | 70 |
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) | 92 | 73 |
| Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) | 87 | 69 |
| Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) | 94 | 68 |
| Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA) | 96 | 76 |
| General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) | 96 | 75 |
Privacy Policy Details
1: Transparency
1.1: Policy Version
- Privacy policies do indicate a version or effective date.
- Privacy policies indicate a changelog 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
- Users are notified prior to any material changes to the policies.
- Changes to the policies are not effective immediately and continued use of the product requires additional consent.
1.4: Policy Coverage
- Privacy policies indicate the products that are covered by the policies.
1.5: Policy Contact
- Users cannot contact the vendor about any privacy policy questions, complaints, or material changes to the policies.
1.6: Policy Principles
- Privacy policies do indicate any privacy principles, layered notices, or a table of contents.
1.7: Policy Language
- Privacy policies are available in multiple languages.
1.8: Intended Use
- 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.
- Behavioral data are collected.
- Sensitive data are collected.
- Non-personally identifiable information is collected.
- Unclear whether free or reduced lunch status is collected.
2.2: Data Source
- Personal information or education records are collected from preK-12 students.
- Personal information from children under 13 years of age is collected online.
2.3: Data Exclusion
- Specific types of personal information are not collected.
- Specific types of collected information are excluded from the privacy policy.
2.4: Data Limitation
- 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.
- 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.
- Data are not shared for third-party advertising and/or 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
- Data are not sold or rented to third parties.
3.5: Third-Party Data Acquisition
- Unclear whether personal information from users is acquired from third parties.
3.6: Third-Party Links
- Links to third-party external websites are not age-appropriate.
3.7: Third-Party Data Access
- 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
- Personal information can be deleted from a third party if found to be misused.
3.10: Third-Party Service Providers
- Data are shared with third-party service providers.
- The roles of third-party service providers are indicated.
3.11: Third-Party Affiliates
- The categories of third parties that receive personal information are indicated.
3.12: Third-Party Policies
- Links to privacy policies of third-party companies are available.
3.13: Third-Party Data Combination
- Unclear whether data can be combined with data from third-party sources.
- Unclear whether data shared with third parties can be combined by third parties for their own purposes.
3.14: Third-Party Authentication
- Unclear whether this product supports social or federated login.
- Unclear whether personal information from social or federated login providers is collected.
- Unclear whether personal Information is shared with social or federated login providers.
3.15: De-identified or Anonymized Data
- User information is shared in an anonymous or deidentified format.
- Unclear whether the vendor describes their deidentification 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 deidentified information.
4: Respect for Context
4.1: Data Use
- Use of information is limited to the purpose for which it was collected.
- The purpose for which data atr collected is indicated.
4.2: Data Combination
- Unclear whether this product treats combined information as personally identifiable information (PII).
4.3: Data Notice
- Notice is provided if the context in which data are collected changes.
4.4: Data Changes
- 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
- 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
- Users can control their information through privacy settings.
5.5: Data Disclosure
- 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 for commercial purposes.
- Unclear whether notice is provided in the event the vendor receives a government or legal request for a user’s information.
5.6: Intellectual Property
- Users retain ownership of their data.
- 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.
- Notice is not provided to users when their content is removed or disabled because of an alleged copyright violation.
6: Access and Accuracy
6.1: Data Access
- Processes to access and review user data are available.
- Permissions, roles, or access controls are available to restrict who has access to data.
- Processes to review data are available for the school, parents, or students.
6.2: Data Integrity
- Unclear whether the vendor maintains the accuracy of data they collect.
6.3: Data Correction
- Processes to modify inaccurate data are available.
- Processes for the school, parents, or students to modify data are available.
- Unclear whether the time period for the vendor to modify inaccurate data is indicated.
6.4: Data Retention
- A data-retention policy is available.
- The retention time period of a user's data can be changed upon a valid inspection request.
6.5: Data Deletion
- Data are deleted when no longer necessary.
- A user's data are deleted upon account cancellation or termination.
- Processes to delete user data are available.
- Processes for the school, parents, or students to delete data are available.
- The time period for the vendor to delete data is indicated.
6.6: Data Portability
- Processes to download user data are available.
- 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.
- Notice is not provided to users if the vendor assigns its rights or delegates its duties to another company.
- Users are notified if their information is transferred to a third party.
7.2: Transfer Request
- 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
- A user's identity is verified with additional personal information.
8.2: User Account
- Account creation is required.
- Parental controls or managed accounts are available.
- Two-factor account protection is available.
8.3: Third-Party Security
- Third-party contractual security protections are required.
8.4: Data Confidentiality
- Industry best 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
- All data at rest are encrypted.
- Personal information of users is stored with a third party.
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 security-compliance audits.
9: Responsible Use
9.1: Social Interactions
- Users can interact with trusted users and/or students.
- Users can interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
- Profile information is shared for social interactions.
9.2: Data Visibility
- Personal information is displayed publicly.
- Users can control how their data are displayed.
9.3: Monitor and Review
- User-created content is not reviewed, screened, or monitored by the vendor.
- Unclear whether user-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.
- Social interactions between users are not moderated.
- Unclear whether social interactions of users are logged.
9.4: Report Content
- Users can filter or block inappropriate content.
- Unclear whether users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
9.5: Internet Safety
- Unclear whether the vendor provides links to tools or processes that support safe and appropriate social interactions.
10: Advertising
10.1: Vendor Communications
- A user can receive service- or administrative-related communications from the vendor.
10.2: Traditional Advertising
- Traditional or contextual advertisements are not displayed.
10.3: Behavioral Advertising
- Behavioral or targeted advertising is not displayed.
10.4: Ad Tracking
- Data are not collected by third-party advertising or tracking services.
- Data are not used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
- Data profiles are not created and used for data enhancement, and/or targeted advertisements.
10.5: Filtered Advertising
- Unclear whether children may receive inappropriate advertisements.
10.6: Marketing Communications
- The vendor can send marketing messages.
- Unclear whether this vendor provides promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
10.7: Unsubscribe
- Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to opt-out of traditional, contextual, or behavioral advertising.
- Users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
10.8: Do Not Track
- Vendor does not respond to Do Not Track or other opt-out mechanisms.
- Unclear whether the vendor provides a method for users to opt-out from third-party tracking.
11: Compliance
11.1: Children Under 13
- Vendor does have actual knowledge that personal information from users under 13 years of age is collected.
- Children's privacy is applicable.
- Account creation is not restricted for users under 13 years of age.
- Vendor does restrict in-app purchases for users under 13 years of age.
- Unclear whether the vendor participates in an FTC-approved COPPA safe harbor program.
11.2: Students in K–12
- Product is primarily used by, designed for, and marketed toward students in grades preK–12.
- Product does create education records.
- Notification of a contract or additional rights is provided.
- Vendor is designated as a school official.
11.3: Parental Consent
- Parental consent is required.
- 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.
- Parental consent notice and method for submission are provided.
- The vendor can use collected information to support the “internal operations” of the product.
- Unclear whether this product indicates COPPA parental consent exceptions.
- Unclear whether the vendor indicates FERPA parental consent exceptions.
- Unclear whether this product discloses directory information.
- Parental consent obligations are transferred to the school or district.
11.4: Legal Requirements
- The legal jurisdiction that applies to the laws governing any dispute 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 vendor will disclose personal information to law enforcement.
11.5: Certification
- The vendor has signed a privacy pledge or received a privacy certification.
11.6: International Laws
- A user's data are subject to International data transfer or jurisdiction laws, such as the GDPR.
- The vendor has indicated it is a Data Controller or Data Processor.