Privacy with Apple
Apple believes privacy is a fundamental human right, so every Apple product is built from the ground up to protect personal information and to empower each customer to choose what they share and with whom.
Apple School Manager
Apple School Manager, Apple’s administrative portal for IT administrators, is built with student privacy in mind. For example, IT administrators can set up Managed Apple ID accounts and class registers in Apple School Manager, importing only minimal data, such as student name and enrolled classes. Other student information that the school may have in their student information system will not be imported, unless the school has opted to do so specifically.
When schools use Apple School Manager to enable student access to services, Apple acts as a data processor on behalf of the school. Ownership and control of student data remains with the school.
Student Data
Apple only receives and processes student data on behalf of the school, as directed by the school. And when schools trust us with their students' personal information, they can be sure it is going to be used for educational purposes only.
Apple doesn't build profiles of students based on their online behaviour and Apple will never sell student information for any purpose. Apple devices use local processing whenever possible, and use the minimal amount of data needed to enable the features and services. Apple provides transparency and control over how information is shared.
Managed Apple IDs
The Managed Apple IDs that students use at school to sign in to their devices, access learning materials and use iCloud services are designed specifically to protect student privacy, including limitations on purchasing and communication. Individual App Store, Apple Books, Apple TV, Apple Podcasts and Apple Music purchases are disabled, and learning materials and apps are distributed by the school. The school owns and controls student information, and can choose to enable or disable services such as Messages, FaceTime or the Student Progress feature with Schoolwork.
Classroom
With Classroom, student iPad devices and Mac computers can only be managed in lessons and no data is stored after a class session has ended. The teacher cannot manage or view student devices outside a class. To ensure transparency when Screen View is active for a student’s screen in a class, a notification at the top of their screen indicates that the screen is being viewed. A student may access details of the specific teacher viewing their screen in Settings on their iPad or Mac. Schools can also choose to disable Screen View if they would prefer teachers not to view student screens.
A parent can ask the school to disable the Student Progress feature for their student across all of their classes. Any previously collected data for that student will be deleted. The student can still participate in activities assigned with Schoolwork if desired, but their progress will not be reported.
Apple provides users with granular control over how location data is managed and shared with apps and cloud services. Location Services are turned off by default, but can be turned on by the student if allowed by the school.