Investigating the Security & Privacy Risks from Unsanctioned Technology Use by Educators
Easton Kelso, Ananta Soneji, Syed Zami-Ul-Haque Navid, Yan Soshitaishvili, Sazzadur Rahaman, Rakibul Hasan
TL;DR
The paper investigates security and privacy risks arising from educators’ unsanctioned use of personal apps and devices in K-12 and higher education. It employs two online surveys (educators N=432; admins N=29) to map which tools are used, why they are chosen, perceived risks, policy awareness, and incident experiences, revealing widespread BYOD usage and a strong emphasis on usability and student engagement over security. Findings show limited awareness of institutional policies, low adoption of security considerations in tool selection, and notable incidents such as data scraping and unauthorized data sharing, underscoring governance gaps. The study argues for educator-friendly secure alternatives, clearer policies, and collaborative governance to reduce data leakage and FERPA/HIPAA risks while preserving instructional effectiveness and innovation.
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.