EAGLE SCOUT | ISSUE NO. 22-03

NEWS | Teacher in financial trouble tried to sell student information via social media

1 Feb 2022

JAPAN – A teacher had announced on Twitter that he was in financial trouble when he was approached by a Twitter account claiming to buy student information. The teacher gave the account a photo containing student information. The Twitter user then posted the photo with only the name and image of the teacher visible, while the student information had been redacted. READ MORE

NEWS | 10,000 records containing student data under the control of British Council compromised

2 Feb 2022

UNITED KINGDOM– The British Council, a public sector organization that provides English language courses worldwide, was hit by a data breach involving at least 10,000 records. The breach was discovered when a group of researchers found an unprotected blob repository containing student data. The British Council stated that the datasets were in the possession of a third-party service provider who immediately secured them after being informed of the breach. READ MORE

NEWS | Personal data of 23,000 students stolen, sold on the dark web

4 Feb 2022

THAILAND – The personal data of over 23,000 students who took part in last year’s exam has been exposed and sold on the dark web.  Students’ names, grades, and identity card information were among the data compromised by the breach. Authorities believe that the breach was caused by human error. READ MORE

NEWS | Movements of students and personnel tracked by the University without their knowledge

12 Feb 2022

UNITED STATES – A University neglected to inform its students, faculty, and staff members about an ongoing project that collects personal data. Through it, the school was tracking the movements of its community members from WiFi Access points and collecting information such as location data and de-identified descriptors such as gender. The University promised to destroy any remaining data they collected for the project. READ MORE

NEWS | Online learning platform allows display of student data on publicly available student-contributed papers

15 Feb 2022

UNITED STATES – Educators and members of the public are questioning Course Hero’s privacy practices after multiple privacy-related concerns involving its platform have been raised.  The platform supposedly accepts numerous student writings containing personal information and sensitive content in exchange for free access to other materials. However, students are given no warnings about the need to remove personal data from their uploaded materials. READ MORE

NEWS | Use of real name for social media under the SIM Card Registration Bill puts privacy at risk

7 Feb 2022

PHILIPPINES —An added provision in the recently ratified SIM Card Registration Bill has caught the attention of cybersecurity and privacy experts. Should this Bill be passed, social media users will have to disclose their real names and phone numbers in creating accounts. Experts argue that through this specific provision, people’s rights to privacy and freedom of expression may be suppressed. READ MORE