As tech firms collect and sell student data, new state law aims to protect their privacy

THE MASSIVE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY, including providers such as Canvas and DuoLingo, will face stricter rules around students’ privacy starting next year after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law Thursday. 

The law, Assembly Bill 1159, prohibits technology companies from using student data to train or develop AI models at a time when California’s K-12 schools, community colleges and universities are increasingly relying on AI for learning, grading and navigating bureaucratic issues.