“The supervisor advises education and the judiciary to stop using Google”

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) advises schools and universities and the Ministry of Justice and Security (J&V) not to use Google services anymore. to write Financial Times Monday Based on two confidential recommendations from the regulator to the Ministries of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), Justice and Security. The tech company’s services, including Gmail, Docs and Classroom, will not comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), European privacy law. It is not clear whether the advice to stop using the Services will be adopted.

fed He writes on the basis of advice that it is not entirely clear what exactly is happening with the personal data of users of Google programs. For example, it is not known how this data is processed and for what purpose. It is possible that “this processing is not lawfully done,” according to the regulator. Many universities and educational institutions are currently using Google services. This does not apply to J&V, but the ministry was, according to fed However, in negotiations with the technology company about the commissioning of some programs.

allow AP Norwegian Refugee Council They know they have sent tips about Google to ministries, but they state that they are not yet able to share content. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science also says it does not wish to comment on the content of the recommendations, as they are first sent to the House of Representatives. It will happen ‘soon’. In their response, OCW and J&V said they were making an “urgent appeal” to “Google’s social responsibility to remove risks and ensure the privacy of pupils and students, so that schools can safely use Google products.”

Insufficient grip

Google says in response to “welcome” “comments from the Dutch data protection authority”. The company also said it was committed to working with government ministries “to address issues identified in the reports and to work together to clarify privacy issues, as recommended by the regulator.”

In March, the OCW concluded on the basis of its own research that there are numerous privacy risks associated with the use of Google’s services in education. For example, it turns out that the tech company does not deal well with the alleged metadata of pupils, students, and teachers. This is information about their internet use, for example what they click on, what they search for, or how long they stay logged in. Google can decide for itself how to collect and use this data, which, according to the outgoing Cabinet, ensures that educational institutions “do not have sufficient control” over what happens with the data.

Schools did not have to immediately stop using Google software from the ministry. The OCW has asked the Dutch data protection authority for additional advice. Neither the AP nor the department can confirm that this request is the reason for the classified advice published on Monday.