Microsoft has recently become the subject of two formal complaints filed by privacy advocacy group NOYB (None of Your Business) with the Austrian Data Protection Authority.
These complaints, submitted on Tuesday, target the U.S. tech giant’s practices related to its online education software, specifically the Microsoft 365 Education suite, amidst growing concerns over data privacy.
The surge in the use of online educational programs during the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed traditional schooling. As schools transitioned to remote teaching, students increasingly relied on online platforms to continue their education.
This shift brought Microsoft’s 365 Education suite, which includes popular applications such as Word, Excel, Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, and Outlook, into the spotlight.
NOYB’s grievances focus on the handling of personal data within these educational tools. In its first complaint, the advocacy group argues that Microsoft attempts to delegate its role as a data controller to the schools using its software.
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According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the responsibility of processing users’ personal data should lie with Microsoft, not the educational institutions. NOYB contends that schools lack the capacity to manage these responsibilities effectively.
“Under the current system imposed by Microsoft, schools are expected to audit the company or provide detailed instructions on processing pupils’ data.
It’s evident that such contractual obligations are impractical and unrealistic. This arrangement is simply an effort to shift the accountability for children’s data away from Microsoft as much as possible”, stated Maartje de Graaf, a lawyer with NOYB.
The second complaint addresses the use of cookies in Microsoft’s 365 Education suite. Cookies, often utilized by advertisers to track consumer behavior, are reportedly being used to monitor students’ activities.
NOYB’s investigation revealed that these tracking mechanisms are in place regardless of the users’ ages, posing a significant privacy risk to minors.
“Our analysis of the data flows is deeply concerning. Microsoft 365 Education appears to track users indiscriminately, which likely impacts hundreds of thousands of students across the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA),” noted Felix Mikolasch, another lawyer representing NOYB.
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The advocacy group is urging the Austrian Data Protection Authority to thoroughly investigate these complaints and impose fines on Microsoft if violations are confirmed.
NOYB’s actions underscore the ongoing tension between tech companies and privacy advocates, especially concerning the protection of minors’ data in educational environments.
This latest development highlights the critical need for robust data protection practices as educational technology continues to play a vital role in modern learning. The outcome of NOYB’s complaints could set significant precedents for how tech companies manage and safeguard personal data within educational tools moving forward.