Denmark banned Google services in its schools, after last year officials of the municipality of Helsingor were ordered to carry out a risk assessment of the processing of personal data by Google.
TechCrunch reports:
The results of a survey published on last weekThe service Denmark's data protection authority, Datatilsynet, revealed that the data processing carried out by students (and not only) using the software suite workspace of Google (a subscription cloud service that includes the Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar and Google Drive apps) "does not meet the requirements" of the European Union's GDPR privacy regulations.
Specifically, the authority found that Google's data processing agreement, or terms and conditions, allow data to be transferred to other countries for the purpose of providing support, even to data normally stored in Google's data centers in the EU.
The laptops Google Chromebooks and by extension Google Workspace are used in schools across Denmark.
However, Datatilsynet specifically focused on Helsingor for its risk assessment after the municipality reported a “breach of personal data security” in 2020.
So while this latest research technically only applies to schools in Helsingor at the moment, Datatilsynet says that many of the conclusions it has reached "probably apply to other municipalities" that use Google Chromebooks and Workspace.
He added that he does not expect these other municipalities to "proceed with the relevant steps" after the decision taken by the municipality of Helsingor.
One millionfaceGoogle CEO told TechCrunch:
“We know that students and schools expect the technology they use to be legally compliant, responsible and secure. That's why for years, Google has invested in privacy best practices and diligent risk assessments. It has made our documentation widely available so anyone can see how we help organizations comply with GDPR.
Schools have their own data. We only process their data in accordance with the contracts we have with them. At Workspace for Education, student data is never used for advertising or other commercial purposes. Independent organizations have checked them services us and keep our practices under constant review to maintain the highest possible standards of safety and compliance."
