New monitoring program Securly

SECURLY MUST BE STOPPED Students feel that Securly violates their right to privacy

KANISHK SHANMUGAM opinions staff

Administrators at Ladue recently installed Securly, a filtering and control software, on school computers in an effort to make sure that they are used appropriately. However, Securly has caused more problems than relief because of its inefficient censorship, privacy violations and blockage of internet resources needed by students for classes and other activities; it’s evident that

Securly needs to be revised or removed.

Securly is able to scan the emails sent by students through their school Google accounts. Doing this allows the program to identify keywords in emails that may relate to bullying or activities leading to self-harm or violence and send them to administrators. Though Securly claims that these actions prevent dangerous situations from happening in the first place, it can also stop students from contacting counselors since students know that information within sent emails are not confidential and will be open for administrators to see. As a result, these “security” measures lead to a decrease in students turning to counselors for help with severe emotional and educational struggles. In addition, some of the keywords used to censor searches are unusual. For example, students simply looking up what Securly is will have their searches blocked because Securly’s own company name is a censored keyword. This censoring of certain words, which can be irritating due to the inefficient and oftentimes random method, ends up not being beneficial for the student population.

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Furthermore, Securly has a reputation for invading user privacy. Common Sense’s privacy website, a nonprofit devoted to promoting safe media and technology usage, rates Securly at 68 percent. According to their credible rating system, this puts Securly in the warning zone, which means that the filtering system as a huge risk for its collection of geolocation, behavioural, personally identifiable data and more private information. Securly’s blatant disregard for privacy outweighs any security the program claims to provide.

Another problem with Securly is its blockage of online student material. For example, students who mainly use their school laptops for clubs such as the Ladue Chess Team don’t have access to some necessary sites. The blocking of lichess.org, a common chess website, prevents the chess team from practicing before a match. It’s absurd that members of Ladue’s state-winning chess team cannot practice and hone their skills using school provided resources. Additionally, websites like DuckDuckGo.com, a professional internet search engine with an emphasis on user privacy protection, are also blocked on school computers. Although DuckDuckGo.com isn’t used too widely among students, Securly’s ban on the search engine is another instance of disdain for students’ privacy on the web.

Ultimately, Securly underperforms in all categories, and its incompetent security system and inefficiency hinder Ladue students. Reforming or removing this system would not only prove most effective in adapting to student concerns and wishes, but also overall be the best option for the school to protect their students’ privacy. p