The Protecting Student Privacy Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate this week, would restrict the use of students' personal data for commercial purposes and give parents control over their children's data. 

According to THE Journal, the act will also limit the transfer of data and require records to be kept of any entities that have access to students' information. The act, presented by Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), would amend The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). It aims to slow the propagation of student information without parental consent, curb the use of student data in commercial applications and secure data held by private companies, the article said. 

"With the business of storing and sifting through records of students growing as fast as students are, Congress must act to ensure that safeguards are in place for data that is shared with outside companies," said Sen. Markey. "This legislation ensures the parents, not private companies, control personal information about their children and that it won't be sold as a product on the open market. I thank Senator Hatch for his bipartisanship and attention to this issue, and I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to pass this important legislation."

Read the full story. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor