The easiest way to prevent technology chaos is carefully managing which tools and services can access your users and data. Evaluating new edTech tools is a critical part of IT security, and a tremendously tedious process. 😵‍💫

I needed a better way to quickly evaluate new tools for the districts I work with, so I turned to Gemini and created a custom Gem to analyze privacy policies based on a custom set of criteria. 

This Gem acts as an expert legal assistant, analyzing privacy policies against my required criteria:

1. Clearly articulated privacy policy
2. Student data is not used for advertising or marketing
3. Data is not sold or shared with third parties
4. Presence of data security safeguards
5. Regulatory compliance with SIPA, COPPA, FERPA
6. Identify any unique policies for users under the age of 18
7. For AI tools, determine if data is retained for model training and improvements

So far, I’ve been pleased with the effectiveness of this custom Gem. I used it to evaluate a couple of privacy policies that I knew pretty well (Kami and Google workspace), and both platforms passed with ease.

Related Post: Understanding Gemini data privacy for EDU domains

I also tested the Gem on ChatGPTs public policy and the Gem indicated that OpenAI does not comply with my required criteria, just as I anticipated. 

Try it out!

Earlier this month, Google launched Gem sharing which means that I can share my custom Gem with you! Click the link below to give my custom gem a try. Just copy and paste a link to a privacy policy you want to evaluate. 

💎 Privacy Policy Evaluation Gem

Note: Gem sharing must be enabled for your account in order to use this feature. If you are unable to enable Gem Sharing, you can copy and paste the text of my Gem from this document. 

Related Post: Google Workspace Domain Audit

Copy and Customize

If you like the idea of using AI to evaluate privacy policies, it is best practice to make a copy of my original so that you can add your own criteria and modifications. This will also ensure that any future changes I make to my Gem won’t impact you. 

💎 Make a copy: privacy policy evaluation gem

Here are some additional criteria you might want to add: 

• Local or state data compliance rules 
• If you have a district evaluation rubric, attach it to the Gem for more personalized recommendations. 
• A list of district requirements (such as “supports Clever integration” or “syncs with Powerschool”)

Learn more about this topic: 

• Mississippi Department of Education evaluation rubric
• ISTE Teacher Ready interactive evaluation tool
• Manage Gem sharing for your organization