inBloom the company that spied on students across the country and shared their info. with our gov't. has shut down

inBloom, a private company that acquired student information from school districts across the country, has shut down.

The company said its work "has been stalled because of generalized public concerns about data misuse..." inBloom and other companies, including Google, acquired student data following revisions to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act by the Department of Education that significantly weakened the student privacy law.

In an open letter posted to the group's website, inBloom chief executive Iwan Streichenberger said the Atlanta-based organization had become "a lightning rod for misdirected criticism."

He said its system was secure and that "the unavailability of this technology is a real missed opportunity for teachers and school districts seeking to improve student learning."

"Hopefully, someday, we can track children from preschool to high school and from high school to college and college to career," U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a June 2009 speech.Jonathan Burman, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said Monday, "We will continue to explore and pursue alternate paths that help our schools, districts, and BOCES access secure and cost-effective educational technology tools that empower and support our teachers, students, and their families. As required by statute, we directed inBloom to delete all New York data."

In 2012, EPIC sued the Education Department for removing student privacy protections. Last year, EPIC testified before the Colorado State Board of Education on student privacy issues concerning inBloom. Early this year, EPIC called for a Student Privacy Bill of Rights, an enforceable student privacy and data security framework.
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/data-service-inbloom-calls-it-quits-1.7780439