New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured a $5.1 million settlement from Illuminate Education, Inc. for its failure to protect students’ personal information, a breach that exposed millions of students across New York, California, and Connecticut.
Illuminate, a provider of educational software used by schools to monitor student attendance, grades, and mental health, experienced a data breach in 2022 that revealed sensitive details of over 1.7 million New York students alone. The investigation found that Illuminate failed to implement basic security measures, including the monitoring of suspicious activity on its platforms.
Attorney General James emphasized the importance of trust between schools and their online platforms. ‘Illuminate violated that trust and did not take basic steps to protect students’ data,’ she said. ‘Today’s settlements will ensure that Illuminate protects students’ data in classrooms across the country.’
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong echoed this sentiment, noting that Illuminate’s failure to adhere to Connecticut’s Student Data Privacy Law exposed thousands of students in his state. ‘This action holds Illuminate accountable and sends a strong message to education technology companies that they must take privacy obligations seriously,’ he said.
Attorney General Rob Bonta of California highlighted the severity of the security deficiencies, noting that over 434,000 California students were affected. ‘Our investigation revealed a troubling pattern of security deficiencies that should have never happened for a company charged with protecting data about kids,’ Bonta stated. ‘Today’s settlement should send a clear message to tech companies: California law imposes heightened obligations for companies to secure children’s information.’
New York State Education Department Commissioner Rosa praised the attorneys general for their partnership in this investigation, commending them for their dedication to safeguarding student data and family privacy.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: NY AG
- Category: Cybercrime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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