Questions to ask before you upload student data to any platform

Print this page and bring it to your next vendor demo. Every question links to a plain-language explainer on why it matters.

  1. How is student data "de-identified," and could a small-town cellist still be recognized in it? why this matters
  2. The policy says they never sell data. How does it define "sell"? why this matters
  3. If the company is acquired or goes under, what happens to your students' records? why this matters
  4. Is anything your students write used to train AI models, and is that default-on? why this matters
  5. Are you assuming FERPA protects this data? For your practice, it probably does not. why this matters
  6. They have a SOC 2 report. Do you know what it covers, and what it never can? why this matters
  7. When you delete a student's record, is it deleted, or de-identified and kept? why this matters
  8. The platform is free. What is the business model? why this matters
  9. Could an "aggregate" report about a group as small as your caseload identify one student? why this matters

beforeyouupload.org ยท free, vendor-neutral, no affiliation with any platform