{"id":2629475,"date":"2026-07-14T08:36:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-data-privacy-ruling-threatens-edtech-that-tracks-students-parents-24-7\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T08:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:43:12","slug":"supreme-court-data-privacy-ruling-threatens-edtech-that-tracks-students-parents-24-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-data-privacy-ruling-threatens-edtech-that-tracks-students-parents-24-7\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTUS Ruling Threatens EdTech That Tracks Students&#8217; Parents"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsupreme-court-data-privacy-ruling-threatens-edtech-that-tracks-students-parents-24-7%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2629475&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a significant Supreme Court ruling, <em>Chatrie v. United States<\/em>, which determined that law enforcement accessing Google Location History data constitutes a Fourth Amendment search, recognizing the strong privacy interest in such location records. the decision highlights how cellular devices and their associated data effectively create a &#8220;virtual panopticon,&#8221; enabling extensive scrutiny of individuals&#8217; activities, thus warranting constitutional protections.<\/p>\n<p>This ruling has notable implications for K-12 education,where schools increasingly collect student location data through edtech tools. Programs like Thomson Reuters&#8217; CLEAR software allow school officials to access extensive location and pattern-of-life facts on students and their families without warrants or parental awareness.Additionally, platforms like Google Workspace for Education track student device locations outside school hours, creating a surveillance habitat similar to the &#8220;panopticon&#8221; concept. <\/p>\n<p>While students\u2019 Fourth Amendment rights diminish within school settings, they still retain protections outside. The expanding use of such surveillance tools raises concerns and questions from parents about privacy rights and data collection practices. Resources are available for parents to opt out and seek enforcement assistance. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/could-felons-decide-the-election-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Could felons decide the election? - Washington Examiner\">article emphasizes ongoing debates<\/a> around student privacy, parental rights, and the potential overreach of government and school surveillance, urging awareness and proactive measures.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>As the Supreme Court made waves with its landmark ruling protecting women\u2019s and girls\u2019 sports, the court also published another landmark ruling that met with little public discussion: <em>Chatrie v. United States.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25-112_0am4.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Chatrie<\/em><\/a>  focused on answering the question of whether or not law enforcement accessing Google Location History data constituted a Fourth Amendment search. The court determined that it did, explaining that \u201c[a]n individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in records about his cell phone\u2019s location, and police intrude on that constitutionally protected interest when they demand the information \u2026 from a third-party tech company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In reaching this decision, the court focused on the intricate and intertwined nature that cellular devices play in everyday life, all while the Location History \u201ctracks and tracks and tracks\u201d the device and subsequently the user carrying it. The location data collected provides the government \u201ca virtual panopticon with which to scrutinize its citizens\u2019 activities\u201d and thus qualifies for Fourth Amendment protections.<\/p>\n<p>This is significant, as Fourth Amendment searches require probable cause, which must be asserted in detail by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-to-send-gun-trafficking-strike-forces-to-5-u-s-cities\/\" title=\"DOJ to send gun trafficking strike forces to 5 U.S. cities\">law enforcement seeking<\/a> a warrant to conduct the search. The warrant must be approved by the correct judicial authority, and the search must be properly conducted to ensure it adheres to the parameters outlined in the warrant.<\/p>\n<p>So what does this have to do with K-12 education? A lot, it turns out. While it is no surprise that schools collect location data on students through EdTech programs and apps, most parents have no idea the extent to which their own location data is collected and used. One example of this is the <a href=\"https:\/\/legal.thomsonreuters.com\/en\/c\/clear\/thomson-reuters-clear-for-residency-verification\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thomson Reuters CLEAR software<\/a>, which allows designated school district personnel to \u201c[a]ccess license plate data and develop pattern of life information\u201d on students and families:<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>Thomas Reuters<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>While marketing itself as a solution to help <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >school personnel save time verifying student addresses<\/a>, the software capabilities go far beyond address and residency verification, with <a href=\"https:\/\/legal.thomsonreuters.com\/en\/products\/clear\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">features<\/a> such as alert functions to allow district personnel to \u201c[g]et notified immediately when any relevant information changes with a student.\u201d These expansive surveillance functions are not surprising, given the company\u2019s own description of the product as a \u201cpowerful online investigation software\u201d with applications in law enforcement and investigative financial services, among others.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>Thomas Reuters<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Notably, parents are not informed of the intense level of location surveillance being conducted on them, their student, and their family members. The CLEAR searches are not being conducted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/update-washington-d-c-mayor-muriel-bowser-was-warned-but-refused-any-additional-help-before-january-6th-vote-on-stolen-election\/\" title=\"UPDATE: Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Was Warned but Refused Any Additional Help Before January 6th Vote on Stolen Election\">law enforcement personnel<\/a>, but by school administrators. No warrants are needed, no uniform compliance protections are in place.<\/p>\n<p>The questions go deeper, as programs such as <a href=\"https:\/\/workspace.google.com\/terms\/education_privacy\/#privacy-police-revamp-your-info\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Workspace for Education<\/a> and many other EdTech applications collect student location data based on tracking and storing school-issued device locations. These devices are often carried by students outside the classroom \u2014 to sports practices and work and coffee dates \u2026 and ultimately to their private homes. This essentially mimics the \u201cvirtual panopticon\u201d referenced in <em>Chatrie<\/em> as it captures the student\u2019s pattern of life via their location history \u2014 which is fully accessible to designated school administrators at all times. Even as students have reduced Fourth Amendment protections at school, they <em>do <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/thelegalguide.org\/fourth-amendment-schools-privacy-searches-student-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">still have them<\/a>, and they certainly have them outside the school premises.<\/p>\n<p>The tension between these K-12 education programs and <em>Chatrie <\/em>is bound to create a stir as parents \u2014 and their students \u2014 begin questioning these surveillance practices and asserting their Fourth Amendment constitutional rights.<\/p>\n<p>Please visit Truth in Education\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.truthineducation.org\/goldmind\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a> to learn more about data collection and to obtain an opt-out form covering a variety of sensitive subjects along with instructions on how to file it with your child\u2019s school.<\/p>\n<p>Already have an opt-out and need help enforcing it? Have questions about your school district\u2019s data collection capabilities? Contact us at info@truthineducation.org.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Katie Allen is policy advisor for Truth in Education (TIE), a Christian, Atlanta-based nonprofit that exposes harmful ideologies and Marxist globalist agendas in America\u2019s schools and advocates for parental rights. TIE works to equip families and churches to reclaim their biblical role in children\u2019s education. The organization leads efforts to promote homeschooling, launch Christian schools, and equip parents to stand firm in the spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation. TIE also engages in legislative efforts to defend parental rights and protect children from government overreach.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court ruling on Google Location Data and Student Privacy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4357,"featured_media":2629476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Copy-of-Untitled-2026-07-13T172406.360.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[36691,34663,82685,32275],"class_list":["post-2629475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-data-privacy","tag-education-technology","tag-student-tracking","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Copy-of-Untitled-2026-07-13T172406.360.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4357"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2629475"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2629483,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629475\/revisions\/2629483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2629476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2629475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2629475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2629475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}