Belgian School Scolded for Non-Anonymous Survey on Substance Use

By Netvora Tech News

A Belgian school has been reprimanded by the country's privacy watchdog for conducting a non-anonymous online survey on substance use among students. The survey, which asked questions about alcohol, drugs, gaming, and gambling, was deemed to have violated the country's data protection laws. According to the Belgian Data Protection Authority (GBA), the school failed to adequately ensure the anonymity of the student respondents. The authority received a complaint from a parent who believed that their 13-year-old daughter's personal data had been compromised without her consent. The school claimed that it was not responsible for processing the survey data, as it was handled by an external expert center. However, the GBA disagreed, stating that the school was indeed responsible for processing the data since it collected information from students via school computers. The GBA pointed out that each participating student was required to log in using a unique code, which was generated by the school. This code allowed the school to identify the student who submitted the answers. The authority also noted that the school had not taken sufficient measures to ensure the anonymity of the respondents. The GBA concluded that the school had violated several provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the requirement to obtain explicit consent from students before processing their personal data. The authority also found that the school had failed to provide adequate guarantees for the anonymity of the data. As a result, the GBA has issued a formal reprimand to the school, citing its failure to comply with the country's data protection laws. The school has been ordered to take immediate action to rectify the situation and ensure that its data collection practices are in line with the GDPR.

Consequences of Non-Anonymity

Identification of students through unique login codes
Lack of explicit consent from students
Inadequate guarantees for anonymity of data
Violation of GDPR provisions

The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting students' personal data and ensuring that data collection practices are transparent and compliant with data protection regulations.