Culture

Surveillance Programs Are Reportedly Targeting, Outing LGBTQ+ Students


Critics claim the software has had the opposite effect, however. A student at South High School in Minneapolis was allegedly outed to their parents without their knowledge when the student was flagged through Gaggle, according to its campus newspaper.

“School administration didn’t talk to [the student] at all before their parents were called,” a source told The Southerner.

The software has raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers as well, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who wrote letters to Gaggle’s company executives in September. The senators raised concerns about overreach and a lack of transparency with regards to data tracking.

“The use of these tools may break down trust within schools, prevent students from accessing critical health information, and discourage students from reaching out to adults for help, potentially increasing the risk of harm for students,” one letter reads.

“The policing of students’ online activity may also be further discouraging students of color and LGBTQ+ students from reaching out to adults for help, leaving students without critical information and support.”

Rather than paying up to $60,000 per year for the software, the lawmakers recommend that schools invest in “local human support services, such as counselors or other school-based mental health professionals, who can develop relationships and trust with students to safeguard their well-being and prevent mental health episodes.”

It’s an especially salient suggestion considering that there is little to no evidence that student surveillance programs actually create safety for students or improve mental health outcomes.

Algorithms have long had issues with the inappropriate flagging of LGBTQ+ content. An April report from tech publication Motherboard found that another school security software program, Securly, flagged LGBTQ+ related websites as “porn.” Websites targeted by Securly’s algorithm included queer news sites and resource pages for LGBTQ+ health.

And it’s not just “educational” software that’s the problem: Tech giants like YouTube have been sued for demonetizing and suppressing queer creators for “adult content.” TikTok reportedly shadowbanned LGBTQ+ creators while letting violently homophobic content go viral, although the company eventually apologized for the former error. Tumblr’s infamous ban on porn and “female-presenting nipples” in 2018 ended up flagging totally harmless materials, including non-pornographic LGBTQ+ content.

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