On Tuesday, Microsoft (MSFT.O) faced two complaints filed by the privacy advocacy group NOYB with the Austrian privacy watchdog concerning its online education software. These are the latest grievances against the U.S. tech giant.
Online educational programs gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as schools switched to remote teaching, turning students into online learners.
NOYB’s complaints target Microsoft’s 365 Education suite, which includes software programs such as Word, Excel, Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
The first complaint alleges that Microsoft transfers its responsibility as a data controller under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to schools, which lack the necessary data management capabilities.
“Under the current system imposed by Microsoft, schools would need to audit Microsoft or instruct them on processing students’ data. Such contractual arrangements are unrealistic,” stated NOYB lawyer Maartje de Graaf. “This is merely an attempt to distance Microsoft from responsibility for children’s data.”
The second complaint addresses cookies installed in Microsoft’s 365 Education, which advertisers use to track consumers.
“Our analysis of the data flows is very concerning. Microsoft 365 Education seems to track users regardless of their age, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of students across the EU and EEA (European Economic Area),” said NOYB lawyer Felix Mikolasch.
