As the University of Michigan’s Center for Digital Curricula’s privacy policy, here are our responses to questions put to us by a U.S. school district. The school district found our responses satisfactory and permitted their teachers and students to use the UMich CDC Collabrify Roadmap Platform.
To download a statement from the Center for Digital Curricula, click here.
Why do the apps need to ‘View and manage the files in your Google Drive’?Collabrify’s response: All files created with our apps are backed by Google Drive. Our apps support embedding pdfs/videos/images from your computer by uploading files to your Google Drive. All of our apps support collaboration which requires us to manage permissions on the files we upload/create on your Google Drive. We do our best to keep all of the files we create neatly organized in your Google Drive. Collabrify does not sell or license or in any other untoward way misuse the data that flow through the Collabrify apps. |
Why do the apps need to ‘Manage your contacts’?Collabrify’s response: To ease collaborative group formation in our apps, we retreive and create new Google contacts in order to suggest and auto-complete potential collaborators. Collabrify does not sell or license or in any other untoward way misuse the data that flow through the Collabrify apps. |
Can you make a statement that you won’t use any information in the Google Drive for any purpose other than for Collabrify to function?Collabrify’s response: By this note, I state unequivocally that my group and I will only use information from students’ Google drive files to support system functioning. From time to time, we do plan to author, for publication in academic and trade venues, oftentimes in collaboration with participating classroom teachers, articles about the impact of the Collabrify software on student understanding and student achievement. However, we will seek specific permissions for such publications. In those publications, there will be no way to identify any particular student. |
How do you maintain security and confidentiality of content?Collabrify’s response: Collabrify does not handle the hosting of the students’ files. All files are hosted/stored in the student’s Google Drive, which is, in turn, maintained by Google on Google servers. All communication between the Collabrify apps and Google’s servers is encrypted under https. Once the content is received by Google, the data is stored on Google’s secure servers. As for confidentiality, we state here that we will not disclose student work to outside parties and that we will only use student work to help us maintain the smooth running of the system. |
What happens to files that Collabrify has had access to after a Google account is terminated?Collabrify’s response: As we mentioned above, Collabrify per se does not manage a student’s account – the school’s IT department manages student accounts. Thus, if the IT department deletes a student’s account, the files are disposed of in the manner prescribed by the IT department. Note, however, if the student’s teacher uses Dashboard to distribute an assignment, then that teacher owns the files that her/his students work on. |
A statement that you won’t use personally identifiable information in pupil records to engage in targeted advertising.Collabrify’s response: By this note, we state that unequivocally that neither I nor anyone in the University of Michigan’s Center for Digital Curricula will use personal information that can be gleaned from a student’s work for financial gain, e.g., engage in targeted advertising. Bottom line: To the best of our knowledge and actions our policy is FERPA- and COPPA-compliant. |
Elliot Soloway
Co-Director, Center for Digital Curricula
For any further questions on our privacy policy or terms of service, please contact me via email at [email protected]
