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Senator Urges Protections for Public College Student Directory Data; Bill Would Limit Data Mining
Summary
Senator Jake Olivera told the Joint Committee on Higher Education that publicly available directory information from students at the state's 29 public colleges and universities should be shielded from commercial data mining and resale. His Senate bill (S.947) and the companion House measure would restrict release of directory fields and clarify
Boston A bill to protect student directory information at public colleges and universities drew testimony from a sponsoring senator who said the measure would stop commercial data-mining and help safeguard students from unwanted solicitations and governmental reuse.
Senator Jake Olivera said his bill (S.947 with a House companion, H.1451) would prohibit harvesting and selling "directory information" such as home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses for commercial purposes and limit public release by public institutions. Olivera said the bill would align public-college privacy protections more closely with private institutions and address concerns raised by students and parents.
Committee members asked about exceptions in Olivera's draft, which currently excludes requests from federal, state and municipal agencies. The senator said that language had been included after consultation with the Secretary of the Commonwealth to preserve public functions such as jury duty and voter lists but that the committee could consider narrowing or clarifying the federal exception to address rising concern about federal access to student records.
Representative Michelle Badger pressed the senator on the effect the bill could have on campus foundations and philanthropic fundraising. Olivera said foundations are separate nonprofit entities and could be carved out by statutory language or clarified with committee staff so fundraising functions are not impaired.
Olivera characterized the proposal as an update to protect students in a digital market where private companies buy and sell personal information. "Students are being targeted; we need to protect their information as much as we possibly can," he said.
No formal committee vote occurred during the hearing. The senator offered to work with committee staff on precise statutory text and carve-outs for legitimate public functions and fundraising needs.
