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Governments harm children’s rights in online learning – HRW

Published

4 years ago

2022/05/26

146 authorised products may have surveilled children and harvested personal data

Governments of 49 of the world’s most populous countries harmed children’s rights by endorsing online learning products during Covid-19 school closures without adequately protecting children’s privacy, Human Rights Watch said in a report released yesterday (25).

The report was released simultaneously with publications by media organisations around the world that had early access to the Human Rights Watch findings and engaged in an independent collaborative investigation.

“‘How Dare They Peep into My Private Life?’: Children’s Rights Violations by Governments that Endorsed Online Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic,” is grounded in technical and policy analysis conducted by Human Rights Watch on 164 education technology (EdTech) products endorsed by 49 countries. It includes an examination of 290 companies found to have collected, processed, or received children’s data since March 2021, and calls on governments to adopt modern child data protection laws to protect children online.

“Children should be safe in school, whether that’s in person or online,” said Hye Jung Han, children’s rights and technology researcher and advocate at Human Rights Watch. “By failing to ensure that their recommended online learning products protected children and their data, governments flung open the door for companies to surveil children online, outside school hours, and deep into their private lives.”

Of the 164 EdTech products reviewed, 146 (89 percent) appeared to engage in data practices that risked or infringed on children’s rights. These products monitored or had the capacity to monitor children, in most cases secretly and without the consent of children or their parents, in many cases harvesting personal data such as who they are, where they are, what they do in the classroom, who their family and friends are, and what kind of device their families could afford for them to use.

Most online learning platforms examined installed tracking technologies that trailed children outside of their virtual classrooms and across the internet, over time. Some invisibly tagged and fingerprinted children in ways that were impossible to avoid or erase – even if children, their parents, and teachers had been aware and had the desire to do so – without destroying the device.

Most online learning platforms sent or granted access to children’s data to advertising technology (AdTech) companies. In doing so, some EdTech products targeted children with behavioral advertising. By using children’s data – extracted from educational settings – to target them with personalized content and advertisements that follow them across the internet, these companies not only distorted children’s online experiences, but also risked influencing their opinions and beliefs at a time in their lives when they are at high risk of manipulative interference. Many more EdTech products sent children’s data to AdTech companies that specialise in behavioural advertising or whose algorithms determine what children see online.

With the exception of Morocco, all governments reviewed in this report endorsed at least one EdTech product that risked or undermined children’s rights. Most EdTech products were offered to governments at no direct financial cost. By endorsing and enabling the wide adoption of EdTech products, governments offloaded the true costs of providing online education onto children, who were unknowingly forced to pay for their learning with their rights to privacy and access to information, and potentially their freedom of thought.

Few governments checked whether the EdTech they rapidly endorsed or procured for schools were safe for children to use. As a result, children whose families could afford to access the internet, or who made hard sacrifices to do so, were exposed to the privacy practices of the EdTech products they were told or required to use during Covid-19 school closures.

Many governments put at risk or violated children’s rights directly. Of the 42 governments that provided online education to children by building and offering their own EdTech products for use during the pandemic, 39 governments made products that handled children’s personal data in ways that risked or infringed on their rights. Some governments made it compulsory for students and teachers to use their EdTech product, subjecting them to the risks of misuse or exploitation of their data, and making it impossible for children to protect themselves by opting for alternatives to access their education.

Children, parents, and teachers were largely kept in the dark about these data surveillance practices. Human Rights Watch found that the data surveillance took place in virtual classrooms and educational settings where children could not reasonably object to such surveillance. Most EdTech companies did not allow students to decline to be tracked; most of this monitoring happened secretly, without the child’s knowledge or consent. In most instances, it was impossible for children to opt out of such surveillance and data collection without opting out of compulsory education and giving up on formal learning during the pandemic.

Human Rights Watch conducted its technical analysis of the products between March and August 2021, and subsequently verified its findings as detailed in the report. Each analysis essentially took a snapshot of the prevalence and frequency of tracking technologies embedded in each product on a given date in that window. That prevalence and frequency may fluctuate over time based on multiple factors, meaning that an analysis conducted on later dates might observe variations in the behavior of the products.

It is not possible for Human Rights Watch to reach definitive conclusions as to the companies’ motivations in engaging in these actions, beyond reporting on what it observed in the data and the companies’ and governments’ own statements. Human Rights Watch shared its findings with the 95 EdTech companies, 196 AdTech companies, and 49 governments covered in this report, giving them the opportunity to respond and provide comments and clarifications. In all, 48 EdTech companies, 78 AdTech companies, and 10 governments responded as of May 24, 12 p.m. EDT. Several EdTech companies denied collecting children’s data. Some companies denied that their products were intended for children’s use. AdTech companies denied knowledge that the data was being sent to them, indicating that in any case it was their clients’ responsibility not to send them children’s data. These and other comments are reflected and addressed in the report, as relevant.

As more children spend increasing amounts of their childhood online, their reliance on the connected world and digital services that enable their education will likely continue long after the end of the pandemic. Governments should pass and enforce modern child data protection laws that provide safeguards around the collection, processing, and use of children’s data.

Companies should immediately stop collecting, processing, and sharing children’s data in ways that risk or infringe on their rights.

Human Rights Watch has launched a global campaign, #StudentsNotProducts, which brings together parents, teachers, children, and allies to support this call and demand protections for children online.

“Children shouldn’t be compelled to give up their privacy and other rights in order to learn,” Han said. “Governments should urgently adopt and enforce modern child data protection laws to stop the surveillance of children by actors who don’t have children’s best interests at heart.”

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The aim of the Government is to ensure a safe life for every citizen -President

Published

3 hours ago

2025/12/9

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stressed that the aim of the Government is to ensure a safe life for every citizen and that it is everyone’s responsibility to act with proper supervision during the resettlement of the people.

The President instructed the relevant sectors to complete all necessary repairs before 31 December by utilising the allocations given by the Government for infrastructure development for this year and not to return any part of those allocations under any circumstances.

The President said that there is no shortage of funds required for relief to the people and for restoring normal life and that what is necessary in this emergency situation is for all institutions to fulfil their responsibilities through proper coordination without limitations.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks while participating on Monday (08) afternoon at the District Coordinating Committee meeting held at the Uva Province Library Auditoriam to review the programme being carried out to restore normalcy in the lives of the affected people in the Badulla District and to develop essential infrastructure. Due to the disaster situation, 64,140 individuals belonging to 19,133 families in the Badulla District have been affected. A total of 418 houses have been completely damaged and 7,703 houses have been partially damaged.

The President inquired separately into the programmes being carried out to restore essential infrastructure such as repairing damaged roads, electricity, water supply, communication, irrigation, restarting agriculture, the livestock sector, inland fisheries and restoring the health and education sectors, among others.

The President pointed out the need to carry out all road repairs simultaneously without dividing them as roads under the Road Development Authority, provincial roads, or local authority roads. He informed officials that if the funds allocated for this purpose are insufficient, they should request the required additional allocations.

The President also instructed that an estimate be prepared and submitted for all roads in the district requiring permanent repairs and noted that funds can be provided to commence this work by January.

Officials stated that, 90% of the district’s damaged electricity supply due to the disaster situation has already been restored and the remaining supply is also being restored swiftly. They further pointed out that steps have been taken to ensure the district’s water supply is provided as required.

The reopening of schools was also discussed and the President instructed that the Government’s allowance of Rs. 15,000 granted to affected schoolchildren be paid promptly through the intervention of Divisional Secretaries.

Due to the disaster situation, 6,711 acres of agricultural land in the Badulla District have been damaged. The President instructed that the relevant farmers and the extent of damaged land be identified, compensation be provided swiftly and they be directed back into cultivation.

He further instructed officials of the Irrigation Department to provide water to agricultural lands at least temporarily, so that the farmers will be able to harvest the Maha season. The President stated that the allowance of Rs. 25,000 provided for the cleansing and restoration of damaged temples and religious sites will be granted through the Department of Cultural Affairs and that a Cabinet decision regarding this matter is expected this week.

Lengthy discussions were held on providing compensation to destroyed and damaged houses and on the resettlement of the affected people. The President also highlighted the need to implement programmes aimed at improving the mental health of people living in camps.

President Dissanayake expressed his gratitude to the Tri-forces, Government officials and the public who are working with immense dedication in all these activities.

Participating in this occasion were the Chairman of the Badulla District Coordinating Committee and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Infrastructure, Samantha Vidyaratne; Chairman of the Badulla District Coordinating Committee and Governor of Uva Province, Attorney-at-Law Kapila Jayasekara; Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, R. M. Jayawardena; Deputy Minister of Power and Energy, Arkam Iliyas; Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, H. M. Dinindu Sampath Hennayake; Deputy Minister of Tourism, Professor Ruwan Ranasinghe; Members of Parliament Sarath Kumara, Ravindra Bandara, Sudath Balagalla, Kittnan Selvaraj, Ambika Samuel, Ajantha Gammaddege and Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, along with other ruling and opposition MPs; Chief Secretary of Uva Province, Ms. Anusha Gokula and representatives of Provincial Councils; Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, together with senior officials of the Ministry of Finance; Badulla District Secretary Panduka Sri Prabath Abeywardena and other Government officials of the district, as well as representatives of the security services

Latest News

Death toll 635 as at 06:00 AM today [09]

Published

10 hours ago

2025/12/9

Priyan

The Situation Report issued by the Disaster Management Center at 06:00 AM today [09th December] confirms that 635 persons have died due to floods and landslides that took place in the country within the past two weeks. The number of persons that are missing is 192.

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Cyclone Ditwah leaves Sri Lanka’s biodiversity in ruins: Top scientist warns of unseen ecological disaster

Published

11 hours ago

2025/12/9

Sahan Weerasooriya

Prof Wijesundara

Sri Lanka is facing an environmental catastrophe of unprecedented scale in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, with leading experts warning that the real extent of the ecological destruction remains dangerously under-assessed.

Research Professor Siril Wijesundara of the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS) issued a stark warning that Sri Lanka may be confronting one of the worst biodiversity losses in its recent history, yet the country still lacks a coordinated, scientific assessment of the damage.

“What we see in photographs and early reports is only a fraction of the devastation. We are dealing with a major ecological crisis, and unless a systematic, science-driven assessment begins immediately, we risk losing far more than we can ever restore,” Prof. Wijesundara told The Island.

Preliminary reports emerging from the field point to extensive destruction across multiple biodiversity-rich regions, including some of the nation’s most iconic and economically valuable landscapes. Massive trees have been uprooted, forest structures shattered, habitats altered beyond recognition, and countless species—many endemic—left at risk.

Among the hardest-hit areas are the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya, Seethawaka Botanical Garden, Gampaha Botanical Garden, and several national parks and forest reserves under the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Forest Department. Officials describe scenes of collapsed canopies, destroyed research plots, and landscapes that may take decades to recover.

Prof. Wijesundara said the scale of destruction demands that Sri Lanka immediately mobilise international technical and financial support, noting that several global conservation bodies specialise in post-disaster ecological recovery.

“If we are serious about restoring these landscapes, we must work with international partners who can bring in advanced scientific tools, funding, and global best practices. This is not a situation a single nation can handle alone,” he stressed.

However, he issued a pointed warning about governance during the recovery phase.

“Post-disaster operations are vulnerable to misuse and misallocation of resources. The only safeguard is to ensure that all actions are handled strictly through recognised state institutions with legal mandates. Anything else will compromise transparency, accountability, and public trust,” Prof. Wijesundara cautioned.

He insisted that institutions such as the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Forest Department, and the Botanical Gardens Department must take the lead—supported by credible international partners.

Environmental analysts say the coming months will be decisive. Without immediate, science-backed intervention, the ecological wounds inflicted by Cyclone Ditwah could deepen into long-term national losses—impacting everything, from tourism and heritage landscapes to species survival and climate resilience.

As Sri Lanka confronts the aftermath, the country now faces a critical test: whether it can respond with urgency, integrity, and scientific discipline to protect the natural systems that define its identity and underpin its future.

By Ifham Nizam