Remind Steps Up Their Game
2 min read
In late 2014, Remind updated their privacy policies and terms of service. While I haven't read through the updated terms in detail to see the precise changes to the terms, there is a lot to like in their updates.
- List of partners - this is a great step other companies would do well to follow, and it's a level of transparency that I haven't seen anyplace else. If other orgs are doing this, please let me know in the comments or on twitter. This list could be improved by being more specific about the data these companies get, but with that said, the fact that Remind created and shared that list is a huge step in the right direction.
- Community guidelines - while these aren't legally binding, they do a good job setting clear expectations around user experience. These guidelines are well written, and help define what people should and shouldn't be doing with Remind.
- Data sunsets of inactive accounts of under 13s - ClassDojo also implemented this, although ClassDojo goes a step further and deletes the data from student accounts that have been unused for a year.
- Plain-language summaries as part of the Terms of Service and Privacy Policies. This is something that came up in discussions of ClassDojo's policies, and that ClassDojo also implemented last fall.
As I said earlier, I haven't read through the updated policies to see what the new terms are like, but the steps that Remind and ClassDojo are taking move things in the right direction. When companies are clear about the data they collect and how they use it, their users can make more informed choices. The steps taken by Remind and ClassDojo should become industry norms. While there is still additional work to be done, these are positive changes that help illustrate good practices. Other EdTech companies: are you listening?
