Princeton Review Security Breach Exposes Thousands of Student Files

Princeton Review is a company that assists students in preparing for tests. There has been a security breach on the company web site that exposes thousands of confidential student files:

“…One file on the site contained information on about 34,000 students in the public schools in Sarasota, Fla., where the Princeton Review was hired to build an online tool to help the county measure students’ academic progress. The file included the students’ birthdays and ethnicities, whether they had learning disabilities, whether English was their second language, and their level of performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which is given to students in grades 3 to 11.”

link: Student files are exposed on Web site

The company is issuing statements about how it takes privacy seriously. However, that is not congruent with some of the obvious lapses in security procedures. Possibly class action lawsuits may follow. Legislation should force the security of data bases with basic standards clearly delineated. Violation of procedure would be subject to criminal prosecution. It seems that only severe consequences will force a focus on security and safeguard confidential data.

Catherine Forsythe