Google changes its mind and signs student privacy pledge, says reaffirms existing promises

Google has changed its mind and signed the student privacy pledge endorsed by President Obama last week, reports the WSJ. The pledge commits companies not to sell student data or use targeted ads on education products.

A total of 75 companies signed the pledge last week, including other tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, but Google declined, saying that it already had these commitments in place. Google’s change of heart may have been influenced by Obama’s statement that he would ensure parents were aware of companies that had not signed-up … 

Google said that it had signed to pledge “to reaffirm the commitments we’ve made directly to our customers.” The company completely removed all ads from Google Apps for Education last April after disabling them by default the previous year.

Photo: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez