Bill Would Prohibit Data Mining On Student Apps

DENVER (CBS4)- State lawmakers are debating a bill that would prohibit data mining on education apps used by students.

Lawmakers say companies are mining data from children who use education apps to develop profiles and sell them to colleges and advertisers.

The proposed bill would prohibit those activities and require that school districts post online which apps they use in classrooms.

"If one district runs into a problem where they believe personally identifiable information has been misused or a contract was violated based on this statute they can let other districts know so they can stop using that application," said Rep. Alec Garnett, a Democrat representing Denver.

The bill has bipartisan support and received initial approval in the House on Wednesday.