Investigating the Security & Privacy Risks from Unsanctioned Technology Use by Educators
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
Feb 23, 2025
Abstract
Educational technologies are revolutionizing how educational institutions
operate. Consequently, it makes them a lucrative target for breach and abuse as
they often serve as centralized hubs for diverse types of sensitive data, from
academic records to health information. Existing studies looked into how
existing stakeholders perceive the security and privacy risks of educational
technologies and how those risks are affecting institutional policies for
acquiring new technologies. However, outside of institutional vetting and
approval, there is a pervasive practice of using applications and devices
acquired personally. It is unclear how these applications and devices affect
the dynamics of the overall institutional ecosystem.
This study aims to address this gap by understanding why instructors use
unsanctioned applications, how instructors perceive the associated risks, and
how it affects institutional security and privacy postures. We designed and
conducted an online survey-based study targeting instructors and administrators
from K-12 and higher education institutions.
