Microsoft has thrown its might behind a new privacy bill that would limit what companiescan do with student data stored in the cloud, thus taking a direct short at Google’s education cloud services. In a statement of support for the measure, Mike Houlihan, spokesman for the company, said that the government needs to step in to make sure that data collected from students via cloud technology can not be turned around and used for commercial purposes.
“We believe that student data should not be used for commercial purposes; that cloud-service providers should be transparent in how they use student data; and that service providers should obtain clear consent for the way they use data,” said Mike Houlihan, a Microsoft spokesman. “We expect that students, parents and educators will judge any proposed legislation on its merits.”
So far the measure has made it onto the docket of the Massachusetts Legislature, with Microsoft being upfront both with its contribution and the fact that it hopes the bill will