Surveillance, Censorship, and Educational Technology

Pasqualoni, Anthony Michael

doi:10.30470/er.2024.2032439.1340

Surveillance, Censorship, and Educational Technology

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Anthony Michael Pasqualoni

Adjunct faculty member, Computer Science Department, Southern Connecticut State University, USA,

10.30470/er.2024.2032439.1340

Abstract

Corporate surveillance and data collection have become routine in primary, secondary, and higher education. In the United States, the Fourth Amendment is the basis of privacy laws that protect citizens against surveillance. However, businesses and governments circumvent this amendment and its associated privacy laws. Multinational corporations such as Ellucian and Anthology collect personal data through educational products such as Banner and Blackboard. Personal information under the purview of corporations includes data on religion, ethnicity, ideology, political activity, health, and sexual activity. In addition to providing a discussion of Ellucian’s data collection practices, this study discusses other businesses that trade in personal data — e.g., Google and YouTube — as well as a report on surveillance of schoolchildren published by Human Rights Watch. The purpose of this study is to shed light on corporate surveillance and data collection in schools and universities by analyzing and discussing material such as Ellucian’s privacy notice, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Carpenter v. United States. In addition, the political contexts of surveillance and censorship are considered. Among the findings are: (1) Surveillance and censorship work in unison; both rest on asymmetrical power relations; (2) Corporate executives and government officials have usurped the prerogative of educators; and (3) Educators are plagued by an inversion of values: the ability of students and teachers to communicate and share information is hindered by those who measure success in financial terms. Given these circumstances, educators and students are incapable of self-determination.

Keywords

Ethics

Surveillance

Censorship

Education

Technology

Money

Subjects

Aplied Ethics

Article Title Persian

نظارت، سانسور و فناوری آموزشی

Author Persian

آنتونی مایکل پاسکوالونی

استاد مدعو، گروه علوم کامپیوتر، دانشگاه ساوترن کانکتیکت استیت، ایالات متحده آمریکا.

Abstract Persian

نظارت شرکتی و گردآوری داده‌ها به امری عادی در آموزش ابتدایی، متوسطه و آموزش عالی تبدیل شده است. در ایالات متحده، متمم چهارم قانون اساسی مبنای قوانین حریم خصوصی است که از شهروندان در برابر نظارت‌های غیرموجه حمایت می‌کند. با این حال، شرکت‌ها و دولت‌ها با دور زدن این متمم و قوانین مرتبط با حریم خصوصی، به جمع‌آوری و بهره‌برداری از داده‌های شخصی ادامه می‌دهند. شرکت‌های چندملیتی مانند Ellucian و Anthology از طریق محصولات آموزشی خود، از جمله Banner و Blackboard، داده‌های شخصی کاربران را جمع‌آوری می‌کنند. اطلاعات شخصی‌ای که در اختیار این شرکت‌ها قرار می‌گیرد، شامل داده‌هایی درباره مذهب، قومیت، ایدئولوژی، فعالیت‌های سیاسی، وضعیت سلامت و فعالیت‌های جنسی افراد است. این پژوهش، افزون بر بررسی شیوه‌های جمع‌آوری داده توسط شرکت Ellucian، به سایر شرکت‌هایی که در زمینه خرید و فروش داده‌های شخصی فعالیت می‌کنند ــ مانند Google و YouTube ــ نیز می‌پردازد. همچنین گزارشی از سازمان دیده‌بان حقوق بشر درباره نظارت بر دانش‌آموزان نیز مورد بررسی قرار می‌گیرد. هدف این مطالعه، روشن ساختن ابعاد نظارت شرکتی و گردآوری داده‌ها در مدارس و دانشگاه‌ها از طریق تحلیل و بررسی اسنادی همچون اعلامیه حریم خصوصی Ellucianقانون حقوق آموزشی و حریم خصوصی خانواده و رأی تاریخی دیوان عالی ایالات متحده در پرونده Carpenter v. United States است. افزون بر این، زمینه‌های سیاسیِ نظارت و سانسور نیز مورد توجه قرار گرفته‌اند. از جمله یافته‌های این پژوهش می‌توان به موارد زیر اشاره کرد: 1) نظارت و سانسور به‌صورت هم‌افزا و در کنار یکدیگر عمل می‌کنند و هر دو بر روابط قدرت نامتقارن استوار هستند. 2) مدیران شرکت‌ها و مقامات دولتی، اختیارات و صلاحیت‌های حرفه‌ایِ مربیان و معلمان را به نفع خود مصادره کرده‌اند. 3) نظام آموزشی با نوعی وارونگی ارزش‌ها مواجه است؛ به گونه‌ای که توانایی دانشجویان، دانش‌آموزان و معلمان برای برقراری ارتباط و به اشتراک گذاشتن اطلاعات، توسط کسانی محدود می‌شود که موفقیت را صرفاً بر اساس معیارهای مالی می‌سنجند.در چنین شرایطی، معلمان و دانشجویان از توانایی تعیین سرنوشت و تصمیم‌گیری مستقل برای خود محروم می‌شوند.

Keywords Persian

اخلاق

نظارت

گردآوری داده‌ها

سانسور

آموزش

فناوری

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