GoGuardian: Difference between revisions

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[[Wikipedia:GoGuardian|'''GoGuardian Inc.''']] is a software company focused on education. They offer browser extensions for Google Chrome and software for Windows called "GoGuardian," which has been known to spy on people. GoGuardian allows teachers/admins to have full control to your computer, block websites, and monitor web traffic. They also offer a product called "GoGuardian Beacon," which does the things previously mentioned as well as prevent suicide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Youth suicide isn't just an issue — it's a national crisis. |url=https://www.goguardian.com/suicide-self-harm-resources |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250615011048/https://www.goguardian.com/suicide-self-harm-resources |archive-date=2025-06-15 |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=GoGuardian}}</ref> GoGuardian has caused a lot of controversy, as it accesses sensitive information, primarily pertaining to students.

~~[[Wikipedia:GoGuardian~~|~~'''GoGuardian Inc.''']] is a software company~~ that focuses on education. They offer a few browser extensions for Google Chrome called "GoGuardian" that has been known to spy on people, give teachers/admins full control to your computer, and block websites. Another one is called "GoGuardian Beacon" which does the ~~things previously mentioned as well as prevent suicide.{{CitationNeeded~~}} ~~GoGuardian has caused a lot of controversy, as it accesses sensitive information.~~

==Consumer impact summary==

{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):

* User Freedom

* User Privacy

* Business Model

* Market Control}}

==~~Controversies~~==

==Incidents==

===Student data collection concerns===

===Student data collection concerns (2023)===

According to a study in 2023, school administrators using the GoGuardian admin tool have access to student "browsing histories, documents, videos, app and extension data, and content filtering and alerts."<ref name="EFF">{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |date=30 Oct 2023 |title=How GoGuardian Invades Student Privacy |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/10/how-goguardian-invades-student-privacy?language=en |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[EFF]]}}</ref> GoGuardian claims "they de-identify data before sharing it with third parties or other entities", though it is reported the data can be deanominized.<ref name="EFF" /> This is an issue as students in American school districts are under the age of 18, which if advertised to with targeted ads based on their GoGuardian data is a direct violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Also, students who utilize this software as a service (SAAS) are forced into using school devices with the monitoring software preinstalled, such as Chromebooks.

===Workarounds===

====Workarounds====

There are a few workarounds, like going to task manager (Shift+Esc) and ending the GoGuardian process. Some schools have disabled ending processes as a result. Another workaround is using your own laptop with a browser other than Google Chrome.

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+[[Wikipedia:GoGuardian|'''GoGuardian Inc.''']] is a software company focused on education. They offer browser extensions for Google Chrome and software for Windows called "GoGuardian," which has been known to spy on people. GoGuardian allows teachers/admins to have full control to your computer, block websites, and monitor web traffic. They also offer a product called "GoGuardian Beacon," which does the things previously mentioned as well as prevent suicide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Youth suicide isn't just an issue — it's a national crisis. |url=https://www.goguardian.com/suicide-self-harm-resources |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250615011048/https://www.goguardian.com/suicide-self-harm-resources |archive-date=2025-06-15 |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=GoGuardian}}</ref> GoGuardian has caused a lot of controversy, as it accesses sensitive information, primarily pertaining to students.
-[[Wikipedia:GoGuardian|'''GoGuardian Inc.''']] is a software company that focuses on education. They offer a few browser extensions for Google Chrome called "GoGuardian" that has been known to spy on people, give teachers/admins full control to your computer, and block websites. Another one is called "GoGuardian Beacon" which does the things previously mentioned as well as prevent suicide.{{CitationNeeded}} GoGuardian has caused a lot of controversy, as it accesses sensitive information.
+==Consumer impact summary==
+{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):
+* User Freedom
+* User Privacy
+* Business Model
+* Market Control}}
-==Controversies==
+==Incidents==
-===Student data collection concerns===
+===Student data collection concerns (2023)===
 According to a study in 2023, school administrators using the GoGuardian admin tool have access to student "browsing histories, documents, videos, app and extension data, and content filtering and alerts."<ref name="EFF">{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |date=30 Oct 2023 |title=How GoGuardian Invades Student Privacy |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/10/how-goguardian-invades-student-privacy?language=en |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[EFF]]}}</ref> GoGuardian claims "they de-identify data before sharing it with third parties or other entities", though it is reported the data can be deanominized.<ref name="EFF" /> This is an issue as students in American school districts are under the age of 18, which if advertised to with targeted ads based on their GoGuardian data is a direct violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Also, students who utilize this software as a service (SAAS) are forced into using school devices with the monitoring software preinstalled, such as Chromebooks.
-===Workarounds===
+====Workarounds====
 There are a few workarounds, like going to task manager (Shift+Esc) and ending the GoGuardian process. Some schools have disabled ending processes as a result. Another workaround is using your own laptop with a browser other than Google Chrome.