Google has added its name to a list of 103 companies who signed a student-data privacy pledge after President Barack Obama endorsed it in a speech.

During his speech at the Federal Trade Commission, Obama mentioned the pledge that is sponsored by two Washington, D.C.-based organizations: "the Future of Privacy Forum, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote responsible data practices, and the Software & Information Industry Association, the main trade association for the software and digital-content industry," according to an article on EdTechMagazine.com.

"It's the right thing to do," Obama said, according to the article. "And if you don't join this effort, then we intend to make sure that those schools and those parents know you haven't joined this effort."

According to the article, "at the time of Obama’s words on Jan. 12, 75 companies had signed the student privacy pledge. Within a week, the list of signatories went up to 90, according to Education Week. As of Wednesday, they numbered 103."

Khan Academy and Google, the article said are "among the latest names in education technology to join the group."

“Protecting the privacy and security of all of our users, including students, is a top priority,” a Google spokesperson said according to the article. “We’re pleased to see the ed-tech industry come together to support this important issue, and we've signed the pledge to reaffirm the commitments we’ve made directly to our customers.”

According to the article, the pledge "is a voluntary way for companies to make their position on student data clear to the public. Signing the pledge sends a strong message of support for keeping privacy practices transparent."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor