Parents in Gifu City, Japan, are expressing concerns over the handling of personal data collected through educational apps used in compulsory education.
The data, collected by apps provided by Recruit the company behind the app, is being outsourced to overseas companies to improve app functionality.
While Recruit claims compliance with the law, the lack of detailed explanations from local governments has left parents uneasy.
A 43-year-old mother from Gifu City voiced her discomfort, stating, “It makes me feel uncomfortable not knowing what kind of data about my child is being used, where and how, and who is seeing it. I want the school to provide a proper explanation.”
Her 11-year-old daughter attends a public elementary school where the “Study Sapuri” app has been in use since June 2022 across all 69 municipal elementary and junior high schools, involving around 29,000 students.

Parents were informed about the app via letters from the school, which indicated that personal information would only be used to support learning.
Despite agreeing to the privacy policy out of concern that their children might not be able to attend classes otherwise, parents were surprised to learn that their children's information was managed by a company and sent overseas.
Another parent, a 50-year-old mother of a junior high school student, expressed similar concerns, saying, “My child's information is for school learning, so I would like it to be used only for that purpose.”
This can be seen as a cause of concern, since the outsourcing of personal data, especially that of children, to overseas companies raises serious privacy and security issues.
There is apprehension about how well the data is protected and whether it might be misused or accessed without proper authorization.
In addition, parents are not fully informed about where and how their children's data is being used and who has access to it.
Gifu City has confirmed that Recruit handles student learning data solely for study assistance, in compliance with the Personal Information Protection Act, which includes provisions for overseas outsourcing.
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The city has assured parents of their willingness to provide detailed explanations if needed.
An investigation by the Yomiuri Shimbun revealed that at least 14 local governments, including Gifu City, Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, and Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture, have introduced the app this year.
The Personal Information Protection Act mandates that companies must understand and adhere to the personal information protection systems of the countries or regions they outsource data to and respond to individual requests.
Recruit cited 13 countries, including the Netherlands, the United States, Israel, Chile, and Hong Kong, as possible recipients of children's data.
While the company claims compliance with legal standards and proper data management, it refrains from disclosing specific countries and regions to which data is entrusted.
However, Recruit is prepared to respond promptly to user requests for contractor disclosure and is considering ways to alleviate parental concerns.
The potential misuse of personal information could have long-term consequences for children's privacy and rights. Not to mention, poor data management and security infrastructure can lead to data breaches which can cause consequences.
Other companies involved in the government's GIGA School Initiative, stated they do not directly collect children's personal information.
Some local governments, like Edogawa Ward in Tokyo, strictly manage personal information and prohibit subcontracting in contracts to ensure data belongs to and is managed by the local government.
An expert on personal information protection, criticized the practice, stating:
“It is inappropriate for users to obtain personal information when they have virtually no room for refusal. Japanese laws may not apply to the storage of information overseas, and in principle, information such as school enrollment information from government agencies must be handled domestically.“
As this story progress, local governments and Recruit are urged to reconsider their data handling practices and provide transparent, detailed explanations to concerned parents.