Whether you're an EdTech startup navigating cybersecurity issues or an educator concerned about privacy and safety when purchasing EdTech products, listen to Emily McDonnell, VP of Trust and Safety at Remind. Emily sits down to talk about the Safety by Design principle, how to navigate and understand a privacy policy, the future of trust and security in EdTech, and why communication around these issues is so critical for everyone.
Embrace A Safety-First Design Strategy
Emily anchors her digital trust and safety policies on three pillars: safety, legal, and security. This means doing whatever it takes to ensure the physical safety of users relying on the platform; compliance with applicable privacy laws and regulations; and data security, which is particularly important when handling student data.
"Trust is how folks feel and think about your company and your brand. This can result from the interactions that they have using your product, their interactions with other users on the platform, and their interactions with your customer-facing teams. What are they seeing about you in the news? On social media? In a marketing sense, trust can boil down to brand loyalty."
For emerging EdTech companies that are still building a safety and trust program for their users, Emily refers them to the Safety by Design principle, which she explains simply:
"With every new feature that you're looking at, keep the lens on what are the right controls, the right safeguards, the right oversight features, and specifics that you need to have in place to launch any product experience feature?"
This includes hearing and addressing stakeholder concerns and ensuring that the staff has a current understanding of safety and security issues. She also recommends this cost-saving strategy for young companies:
"Some of the most expensive resources, like legal counsel or a security team, you don't have to build that out internally. There are some amazing organizations out there that will take you on as a client, and you can have really solid expertise but not at full-time costs."
A Good Privacy Policy Should Be Easy To Understand
Anyone who has read a privacy policy knows what an impenetrable word salad it can be. Emily can help you make sense of the experience:
"You do have to be compliant with state and federal privacy laws, but a lot of those laws are actually pretty out of date and not robust enough to truly assess if that company is legitimately protecting user data in the safest possible way."
One thing to look for, she suggests, is third-party certifications:
"You have an auditor look at your data governance practices and certify every single year that your policies provide adequate protection and that you're actually implementing those policies."
Perhaps most importantly, Emily says, companies shouldn't expect current and potential users to navigate this thicket on their own:
"The EdTech community should be stepping up and taking ownership of transparency around security practices because it can be so hard for somebody considering a tool to know what to ask."
This gesture, as well as clearly answering all user questions, would go a long way toward demonstrating how seriously a company or organization takes privacy and security. As in so many issues of trust and safety, Emily encourages EdTech companies to adopt her motto:
"Say what you do and do what you say."
There's More To Safety Than Caution
While Emily focuses daily on risk mitigation and protecting sensitive data, she also holds a positive vision for the future of trust and security:
"I would like to see us moving more in the direction of supporting positive interactions. How are we encouraging students to answer questions from other students? How are we teaching digital citizenship? A lot of students are beginning to use online tools when they're in the classroom, so how can we use that space to help them understand what's appropriate and encourage positive behaviors? Trust and safety can be reactive, and so thinking more proactively around how we can promote those positive behaviors and interactions, I hope we can get there."
Here's the full transcript of Emily’s podcast episode.
Note: Remind is a client of LCG, but this is not a sponsored podcast episode. We just love showcasing passionate educators who are making a difference. As always, all opinions are our own.
What We Talked About
Use this to jump to parts of the conversation you want to listen to more closely.
[00:41] Introducing Emily McDonnell
[09:23] How Emily defines trust and safety
[12:37] How to build trust within online communities
[17:43] Safety by Design: how to build a safety and trust team
[26:12] Things you should look for in the privacy policy
[31:58] Future of trust and security
[36:11] How Emily formed her professional network
[41:10] Emily's message to educators in this moment
"Whether or not you are an educator, if you know an educator, reach out and check on them and thank them. If you are in any position to help in any way, please do so."
[43:24] What inspires and refuels Emily
[46:10] How people can contact Emily
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Safety by Design principles, Emily refers to this foundational cybersecurity approach to protect users and their data from online risks and harms
iKeepSafe, Emily cites this resource that certifies digital products as compliant with state and federal requirements for handling protected personal information
International Standards Organization (ISO), Emily cites this resource that certifies digital products as compliant with state and federal requirements for handling protected personal information
From Educator to EdTech: A Conversation with Meredith Allen, Elana mentions this LCG podcast as another illustration of an educator whose career journey led to EdTech
EdTech, Cybersecurity, and All Things Data: A Conversation With Susan Bearden, Elana mentions this LCG podcast as another deep dive into cybersecurity
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Emily McDonnell, Guest
Emily McDonnell serves as Vice President of Trust & Safety at Remind, a content and collaboration software company that she joined in 2014. Emily is part of the Safety team within the Operations Department. She graduated from Pomona College in 2009 with a BA in Spanish. Her career path includes editorial work at Eindhoven News, teaching Spanish at the Creative Learning Preschool in Madison, Wisconsin, and several organizations in the non-profit sector.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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