New York's Massive Data Storage Plan Called Threat to Privacy

Parents sue to try to have it stopped

New York's plan to turn over massive amounts of student data to a private company for online storage violates privacy laws and could expose the information to hacking, a dozen parents and guardians claim in court.

The plaintiffs, who have 19 children in public and charter schools in New York City, say they want to halt "the unnecessary and unprecedented mass disclosure of the records and personal information of millions of New York state school children."

Lead plaintiff Mona Davids claims in Albany County Supreme Court that New York privacy law requires written consent before a government agency can disclose personal information, and that the plaintiffs did not authorize the release of data on their minor children and wards.