MASS EXTINCTION: Code.org, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science education, has announced via press release that it has removed 10 million student email addresses from its servers and written a new privacy policy. Under the new policy, students using Code.org will log in using their email addresses, but the addresses will not be sent to Code.org's servers via a one-way hash scrambling technique. The nonprofit has already instituted the policy with its new product, Code Studio. Its other offerings will become subject to the updated policy on August 22. Both Code.org's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy are open for public comment for the until then.
The nonprofit hopes to be an example for other educational organizations, writing, "We did this because the privacy and safety of student data is more important to us than the ability to contact our users. We hope other education web sites consider the same approach...The data we don’t store cannot be stolen from us."
Code.org also plugged two new features, the App Lab and the upcoming Game Lab, in the press release. The announcements come on the heels of a $15 million donation from Facebook.
