US K12 EdTech Safety Benchmark Findings & Data Publication

Research Question

1. Do consumers think software is tested for safety?
2. Do software makers think software is harmful? Do they perform safety testing? Do they think it’s needed?
3. Are the ISL safety Labels useful/usable? How?

Why Is This Research Important?

This research allows researchers, parents, policymakers, journalists, students, etc., to have all the US K12 EdTech benchmark safety data at their disposal. 

It also produces Software Safety Labels for the 1722 EdTech apps from the US K12 Benchmark. The safety labels create unprecedented transparency to the inner workings of software so people can make more informed choices when selecting and using software. 

The validation research helps illuminate if consumers think that software undergoes safety testing prior to product launch, and how receptive the industry is to integrating product safety measures in software development. It also helps to refine/optimize the usability of the Software Safety Labels. 

Methodology

The project has three main components: 

1. Analyzing already collected benchmark data (secondary data). 
2. Publishing data through Tableau and through a new web service called App Microscope to display Safety Labels. This is largely a software development effort but also involves creating three new risk databases and updating an existing risk database used to power App Microscope, which will generate safety labels for mobile apps.
3. Validation research: The validation research portion of the project includes quantitative research (online surveys) and qualitative research (interviews). 

Media and Publications

• 2022 K-12 EdTech Safety Benchmark Findings Report 2: School Technology Practices & 3rd Party Certifications Report examining US-wide data for patterns between school/district technology behaviors and ISL App Safety Scores. The report also has data for patterns between third party certifications and promises and the ISL App Safety Score.
• App Microscope Product that generates Safety Labels for all the (1200+) apps examined in the K12 Safety benchmark studies
• 2022 K-12 EdTech Safety Benchmark Findings Report 3: Demographic Analysis of App Safety, Website Safety, and School Technology Behaviors in US K-12 Schools The report provides an in-depth analysis of the demographic data of the schools studied
• Company Privacy Risk Dictionary v1.0 Company Privacy Risk Dictionary scores companies found in ISL research, either as app developers, SDK developers, or found in the network traffic of the app when tested.
• SDK Privacy Risk Dictionary Provides privacy risk scores for SDKs found during ISL study
• Domain Privacy Risk Dictionary Provides privacy risk scores for subdomains found during ISL study
• Consumer Attitudes Towards Product Safety: Physical Consumer Goods vs. Internet Connected Products Findings from a consumer survey conducted by ISL to understand their attitudes towards product safety for traditional, physical consumer goods versus internet-connected products, including websites, mobile apps, connected home and a variety of other technologies
• School EdTech Safety Recommendations Recommendations for EdTech stakeholders: a range of options for various EdTech stakeholders to help mitigate privacy risks for students due to EdTech.