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Privacy Evaluation for Class Charts

Last updated

Overview

Class Charts creates school seating plans, puts behavior tracking online, and supports sharing homework assignments. The policies for Class Charts clearly indicate that the service is intended to be used by students under the age of 13 and that schools must obtain parental consent prior to entering a student's information. They also indicate that the service employs reasonable security methods to protect student information, but do not indicate whether the service will provide notification in the event of a data breach. The policies are also clear that the service and third parties may use personal information to send marketing messages, but are not clear about any other forms of advertising that may be used. Finally, Class Chart's policies do not indicate whether users are able to communicate with one another or create content on the service, nor any methods by which student information may be publicly displayed.

ClassCharts can be accessed through its website. ClassCharts Teachers is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. ClassCharts Students is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. ClassCharts Parents 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 ClassCharts' website, and iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.

Safety

The policies for Class Charts do not address whether users are able to communicate with one another on the service. They also do not address whether or not users may post, submit, or otherwise create content on the platform. Since user interactions and content creation are not addressed by the policies, it is not clear whether any student data may be posted in such a way that it could be displayed publicly or see by other users.

Privacy

The policies for Class Charts are also clear that personal information may be shared with third parties in certain circumstances. They indicate the types of information shared with the third parties and the purposes for sharing that information. The section of the privacy policy that discusses marketing is clear that the service and third parties may use personal information to direct marketing messages to users, along with steps to opt out of these messages. The policies, however, do not address traditional or targeted advertising within the service. Nor, are the policies clear whether any tracking technologies may be used to display advertising on other websites.

Security

The policies clearly state that the service uses reasonable security methods, including encryption, to protect user information. They are not clear how that encryption is used or whether it's used to protect data in transit or at rest. The policies also indicate that a data breach may be possible, but do not indicate what the service does in the event of a breach. When the service shares information with third parties, the policies indicate that third party service providers are bound to protect personal information received from the service.

Compliance

Class Chart's policies clearly indicate that the service collects personal information from users to operate the service, including names and contact information. They also state that schools are responsible for entering the information about students into the service, but do not indicate the methods for that data entry. Class Chart's policies also indicate that the product is intended to be used with students under 13 and that the school is responsible for obtaining parental consent prior to entering a student's personal information.

Rating

This product received a Warning rating based on the following details:
  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • 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: 30%

What data does it collect?

  • Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
  • The categories of collected personally identifiable information are indicated.
  • Unclear whether the collection or use of data is limited to product requirements.
  • 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.
  • Unclear whether opt-in consent is requested from users at the time personal information is collected.
  • Unclear whether 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.
  • 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.
  • Data are shared for analytics.
  • Data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
  • Unclear whether third-party services are used to support the product.
  • Unclear what the roles of third-party service providers are.
  • Unclear whether this product supports third-party login.
  • Contractual limits are placed on third-party data use.
Data Security
SCORE: 30%

How does it secure data?

  • Unclear whether a user's identity is verified with additional personal information.
  • Unclear whether this product requires account creation.
  • 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.
  • Unclear whether this product limits employee or physical access to user information.
  • Unclear whether this product encrypts all data in transit.
  • Unclear whether all data are stored in an encrypted format.
  • Unclear whether this product provides notice in the event of a data breach.
Data Rights
SCORE: 60%

What rights do I have to the data?

  • Unclear whether users can create or upload content.
  • Unclear whether 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.
  • Unclear whether this product deletes data when no longer necessary.
  • Unclear whether methods are available to restrict who has access to data.
  • Processes to download user data are available.
Data Sold
SCORE: 20%

Is the data sold?

  • Unclear whether personal information is 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.
  • Unclear whether 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.
  • Unclear whether third-party transfers are contractually required to use the same privacy practices.
  • User information that is shared is not shared in an anonymous or de-identified format.
  • Unclear whether the company describes their de-identification process of user information.
  • Data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
  • Unclear whether contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
Data Safety
SCORE: 0%

How safe is this product?

  • Unclear whether this product supports interactions between 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.
  • Unclear whether 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: 45%

Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays traditional or contextual advertisements.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • 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.
  • The company does provide promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
  • Users can opt out of contextual, or personalised advertising.
  • Users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
Parental Consent
SCORE: 35%

Can I provide parental consent?

  • Intended for children under 13.
  • Personal information from children under 13 years of age is collected.
  • Unclear whether 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 not 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.
  • Unclear whether this product allows parents to withdraw consent for the further collection of their child's information.
  • Unclear whether this product deletes children's personal information if collected without parental consent.
  • Parental consent notice and method for submission are provided.
School Purpose
SCORE: 63%

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.
  • 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: 30%

Can I control the use of my data?

  • Unclear whether users can control the use of their information through privacy settings.
  • 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.
  • 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.