Overview
Desmos provides a free graphing calculator for students and an Activity Builder for teachers to help students grasp math concepts from geometry, algebra, and calculus. Desmos includes a free version that can be used without creating an account - this evaluation focuses on the versions of the tool that require account creation. Individuals can create accounts on their own, or join a class that has a specific access code (a pin number). Desmos' terms state they employ physical, administrative, and technological safeguards designed to preserve the integrity and security of all information collected through the service. Lastly, Desmos' terms state they do not knowingly collect or maintain Personal Data from users under 13 years of age, unless either the associated teacher, school, or Desmos itself has received verifiable parental consent.
Desmos can be accessed through its website, and is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use accessed for this evaluation can be found on Desmos’ website, iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include: Student Data Privacy Statement. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.
Safety
The terms of Desmos state they allow both students and teachers to create individual accounts, although no account is needed to use the graphing calculator. In addition, students can access teacher classroom activities with a PIN provided by the teacher. The terms state that for schools utilizing the school collaboration functionality, a school user may be able to share information with other authorized school users and/or invite other authorized school users to access, review, and, edit school material. Interactions on the site are generally centered around math-related activities.
Privacy
The terms of Desmos state they support social login via Google and collect only the minimal amount of personal information required to use the Service. The service may collect or have access to Student Data that is provided by the school or by the student. The type of information the service may collect will depend on how the school uses the service. Information collected may include a student’s first and last name, email address, class assignment data, and other classroom content. Desmos' terms state they may use data which has been de-identified and/or aggregated for product development, research analytics, or marketing the service. In addition, Desmos may provide personalized content and information to teachers, school administration officials, and other users associated with schools. Desmos' terms state they will never use student data to engage in targeted advertising or direct advertising to student users. The terms also state that Desmos will not permit third-party advertising networks or other third parties to collect information about users' browsing behavior from their service for advertising purposes.
Security
Desmos' terms state they employ physical, administrative, and technological safeguards designed to preserve the integrity and security of all information collected through the service. Access to user information is limited through user/password credentials and, in some cases, two-factor authentication to only those employees who require it to perform their job functions. Desmos' terms state they employ other security safeguards such as SSL (secure socket layer technology) encryption to transfer personal information, data encryption, firewalls, physical access controls to buildings and files, and employee training. Lastly, Desmos has implemented administrative, physical, and technical safeguards designed to secure personal Information, including student data, from unauthorized access, disclosure, and use. In the event Desmos has a reasonable, good faith belief that an unauthorized party has gained access or disclosed student data, they will promptly notify the School.
Compliance
Desmos' terms state they do not knowingly collect or maintain Personal Data from users under 13 years of age, unless either the associated teacher, school, or Desmos itself has received verifiable parental consent. In addition, the terms state that educators using the website with students are responsible for obtaining any required parental consent needed to collect personal information. Desmos' terms state they may collect student data, and that some of the student data may include “educational records” as defined under FERPA. Students, teachers, or the school may access, update, or correct student data by logging into their accounts. Lastly, Desmos' terms state they require teachers and schools to uphold their obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”), the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment ("PPRA"), and the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (“COPPA”), and all applicable State laws relating to student data privacy.
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 | 88 | 72 |
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 | 83 | 45 |
| Data Sharing: Protecting data from third parties | 100 | 90 |
| Data Security: Protecting against unauthorized access | 100 | 85 |
| Data Rights: Controlling rights to data | 88 | 85 |
| Data Sold: Preventing sale of data | 75 | 80 |
| Data Safety: Promoting responsible use | 67 | 60 |
| Ads & Tracking: Prohibiting the exploitation of users' decision making process | 86 | 80 |
| Parental Consent: Protecting children’s personal information | 100 | 75 |
| School Purpose: Following student data privacy laws | 100 | 88 |
| Individual Control: Controlling data use | NA | 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) | 93 | 77 |
| Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) | 86 | 73 |
| Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) | 94 | 70 |
| Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA) | 92 | 70 |
| General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) | 97 | 71 |
Privacy Policy Details
1: Transparency
1.1: Policy Version
- Privacy policies do indicate a version or effective date.
- Privacy policies 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
- 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: 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
- Intended for children under 13.
- Intended for teens.
- Intended for adults over 18.
- Unclear whether 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.
- Unclear whether this product collects geolocation data.
- 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.
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.
2.3: Data Excluded
- Unclear whether specific types of personal information excluded from collection.
- 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.
- Personal information is not 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
- Unclear whether personal information about users is obtained 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
- 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
- The categories of third parties that receive data are indicated.
3.12: Third-Party Policies
- Links to privacy policies of third-party companies are available.
3.13: Third-Party Data Combination
- Company may combine data with additional data from third-party sources.
- Unclear whether 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.
- Personal Information is shared with third-party login providers.
3.15: De-identified or Anonymized Data
- User information that is shared is shared in an anonymous or de-identified format.
- 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.
- Contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
4: Respect for Context
4.1: Data Use
- 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
- 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
- A grievance or remedy mechanism is not available for users to file a complaint.
5.4: Data Settings
- 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.
- Unclear whether notice is provided in the event the company 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.
- 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 attempts 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
- 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 authorized users to delete data are available.
- 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.
- Notice is not provided to users if the company 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 not required.
- Managed accounts are available.
- 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
- All data are stored in an encrypted format.
- Unclear 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.
- Profile information must be shared for social interactions.
9.2: Data Visibility
- Personal information can be displayed publicly.
- Users can control how their data are displayed to others.
9.3: Monitor and Review
- User-created content is not 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.
- Social interactions of users are logged.
9.4: Report Content
- Users can filter or block inappropriate content.
- Users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
9.5: Internet Safety
- The company provides links to resources that support safe and appropriate social interactions.
10: Advertising
10.1: Vendor Communications
- A user can receive service- or administrative-related communications from the company.
10.2: Traditional Advertising
- Traditional or contextual advertisements are displayed.
10.3: Behavioral Advertising
- Personalised advertising is not displayed.
10.4: Ad Tracking
- Data are not collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
- Users's information is not used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
- Data profiles are not created and used for personalised advertisements.
10.5: Filtered Advertising
- Ads displayed to children are filtered for inappropriate content.
10.6: Marketing Communications
- The company can send marketing messages.
- Unclear whether this company provides promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
10.7: Unsubscribe
- Users can opt out of contextual, or personalised advertising.
- Users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
10.8: Do Not Track
- Unclear whether this product responds to "Do Not Track" or other opt-out mechanisms.
- The company does provide a method for users to opt-out from third-party tracking.
11: Compliance
11.1: Children Under 13
- Company does have 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.
- 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 described.
- Additional rights or protections may be provided with an additional school contract.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- The company 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.
- Unclear whether the company has indicated it is a Data Controller or Data Processor.