Welcome to our special series exploring an essential issue affecting our children today: the protection of their digital privacy and use of responsible edtech in schools. In this episode, we share the story of Christer Veland, a father in Oslo, Norway, who became a “privacy parent” striving to guard his children’s digital futures in our tech-driven world.
From Tech Enthusiast to Privacy Advocate
Christer Veland started on his path to privacy advocacy when his children became school-age. With a career spanning nearly two decades in IT and tech, Christer was already familiar with the intersection of technology and privacy. However, things took a personal turn when his daughter’s school began using iPads without adequately addressing privacy and online safety concerns.
Awakening to Privacy Risks
This dad with significant professional experience in digital transformation was concerned when his daughter’s school didn’t initially inform parents about their technology use. Christer then started taking action after learning about inappropriate content reaching his child’s classroom. His efforts to understand and question the school’s digital infrastructure led him to uncover inadequate privacy measures.
The School's Digital Transformation
Christer’s inquiries into how the school was managing online safety and privacy brought a significant revelation: the schools lacked the expertise to manage complex digital systems and the kids were taking advantage of this fact. His reports to Norwegian ministries helped push for legislation encouraging better content filtering in early education settings.
Practical Investigations and Advocacy
To illustrate the impact of data exposure, Christer began visiting parents and schools with his own testing setup. This annual hobby allowed him to gather critical data about the ad networks and privacy shortcomings affecting school-issued devices. It turned out that a significant portion of traffic from devices was routed to advertising networks, unbeknownst to the families.
Empowering Parents with Tools and Knowledge
Christer recommends tools like AdGuard to parents interested in understanding where their children’s data is going. By connecting devices to this system, families can start seeing the extent of data exchanges and who might be benefiting from it. The objective is to educate and arm parents with the knowledge to advocate for practical data privacy solutions.
Lessons from Norway's Digital Push
One of the most compelling aspects of Christer’s story is the broader message about digital literacy. The rapid digitalization of schools in Norway has not been without its challenges, highlighting a need for student-involved strategies rather than top-down technology implementation. His experience makes it clear that educational success hinges on more than just gaining fancy tech gear.
Conclusion: Rallying for Children's Privacy
Christer Veland’s journey is not just inspiring; it is a call to action for parents and guardians around the world. It emphasizes the importance of understanding school digital policies and engaging in dialogue around tech use and safety in education. As technological integration becomes more rampant, protecting children’s data privacy is crucial. Together, we can advocate for safer, more thoughtful use of technology in educational environments. If Christer’s story resonates with you, or if you’ve faced similar challenges, we encourage you to share your experiences and join the conversation. Let’s work together to safeguard our children’s digital futures. For more resources and support on these issues, or if you’d like to share your story, please reach out to us. United, we can ensure technology in education empowers rather than exploits.
More materials on these topics
Follow Christer Veland Aas and Angeline Corvaglia on LinkedIn
Christer mentions these tools/websites in the episode:
For more info on these topics, check out these articles that explain the issue of content and data sharing.
- Aimed at teens: What You Should Know About School Technology and Data Sharing – Data Girl and Friends
- Aimed at parents: Tech at School: Protecting Your Child’s Privacy – ANGELINE CORVAGLIA
In addition, we also recommend these resources:
- Me2B Alliance Product Testing Report on School Mobile Apps Student Data Sharing Behavior
- Edtech law center‘s resources on issues with edtech: https://edtech.law/issues-with-edtech/
Fantastic site.
What we need to promote is Responsible Digitalisation in kindergarden and elementary schools. I would like to challenge lawmakers in Norway to consider introducing a law that puts this responibility on the municipalities in Norway, that now have the responsibility of rolling out digitalisation in kindergarden and elementary and secondary schools. The challenge in Norway is the responsible part! Incredible, but true! And a lot of it boils down to lack proper laws and lack of competence in municipalities given this responsibility.
It has turned out to be a crack in our system that is very hard to do something with!