Company:GoGuardian

From HandWiki
Short description: American internet filtering and edtech company
GoGuardian
IndustryEducation Technology
Founders
  • Advait Shinde
  • R. Todd Mackey
  • Aza Steel
Headquarters2030 E Maple Ave,

El Segundo, CA
,
U.S.
Products
  • GoGuardian Admin
  • GoGuardian Teacher
  • GoGuardian Beacon
  • GoGuardian DNS
  • GoGuardian Fleet
  • GoGuardian Director
Websitewww.goguardian.com

GoGuardian is an educational technology company founded in 2014 and based in Los Angeles, California. The company's services monitor student activity online, filter content, and alert school officials to possible suicidal or self-harm ideation.[1]

Product history

GoGuardian was founded in 2014 and is based in Los Angeles, CA.[2] Its feature set includes computer filtering, monitoring, and management, as well as usage analytics, activity flagging, and theft recovery for ChromeOS devices.[3] GoGuardian also offers filtering functionality for third-party tools such as YouTube.[4]

In June 2015, GoGuardian reported it was installed in over 1,600 of the estimated 15,000 school districts in the United States.[5]

In January 2015, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) chose GoGuardian to support their 1:1 device rollout program. This provides LAUSD device tracking and grade-level-specific filtering, and facilitates compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA).[6]

In September 2015, the company released GoGuardian for Teachers, a tool to monitor student activity and control student learning.[7][8][9] In January 2016, GoGuardian announced the launch of Google Classroom integration for GoGuardian for Teachers.[10]

In May 2018, GoGuardian was acquired by private equity firm Sumeru Equity Partners and appointed Tony Miller to their board of directors.[11]

In August 2018, GoGuardian launched Beacon, a software system installed on school computers that analyzes students' browsing behavior to alert people concerned of students at risk of suicide or self-harm.[12]

In November 2020, GoGuardian merged with Pear Deck.[13][14]

Student privacy

GoGuardian products allow teachers and administrators to view and snapshot students' computer screens, close and open browser tabs, and see running applications.[15] GoGuardian can collect information about any activity when users are logged onto their accounts, including data originating from a student's webcam, microphone, keyboard, and screen, along with historical data such as browsing history.[16] This collection can be performed whether students connect from school-provided or personally-owned devices.[17] Parents have raised privacy concerns over this data collection, claiming the software is spyware.[18]

In 2016, researcher Elana Zeide raised the concern that the use of GoGuardian software for suicide prevention, though "well-meaning", could result in "overreach". Zeide further noted that legitimate personal reasons could motivate a student to wish to search for sensitive information in private. According to Zeide, this concern is compounded by the fact that school devices may be the only devices for lower-income students. American School Counselor Association ethics chair Carolyn Stone said that GoGuardian's ability to track web searches conducted at home is "intrusive" and is "conditioning children to accept constant monitoring" as normal.[19]

Until October 2015, GoGuardian software was able to track keystrokes and remotely activate student webcams.[20] GoGuardian said that the features were removed as part of its "ongoing commitment to student privacy."[20]

GoGuardian technical product manager Cody Rice stated in 2016 that schools had control over GoGuardian's collection and management of data and that no client had complained about privacy.[19]

Recognition

  • Inc. 500[1]
  • Deloitte's Fast 500
    • In 2018, GoGuardian was named as the 27th fastest growing technology company in North America.[21]
  • Forbes 30 Under 30
    • In January 2016, two of the company's co-founders, Aza Steel and Advait Shinde, were named to Forbes magazine's annual "30 Under 30" list in the Education category.[22]
  • International Design Awards Gold: GoGuardian Teacher[23]
  • 2016 Awards of Excellence Tech and Learning[24]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "From Snack Delivery to Sustainable Energy, Here Are the Fastest-Growing Companies in L.A.". 2018-10-09. https://www.inc.com/brit-morse/2018-inc5000-fastest-growing-companies-los-angeles.html. 
  2. ↑ Fan, Ryan (2021-01-20). "I Monitor My Students With a Chrome App — and It's Made a Huge Difference" (in en). https://onezero.medium.com/i-monitor-my-students-with-a-chrome-app-and-its-made-a-huge-difference-99ed875a783f. 
  3. ↑ "GoGuardian Builds Chromebook Security for the Digital Classroom". http://www.prweb.com/releases/GoGuardian/ChromebookSecurity/prweb12365654.htm. 
  4. ↑ "GoGuardian: Chromebook Monitoring, Filtering, and Anti-Theft for Schools". EdTech Roundup. Oct 14, 2014. http://www.edtechroundup.org/reviews/goguardian-chromebook-monitoring-filtering-and-anti-theft-for-schools. 
  5. ↑ "Scalability and Infrastructure". GoGuardian. June 30, 2015. http://blog.goguardian.com/scalability-and-infrastructure. 
  6. ↑ "LAUSD Gets GoGuardian's Suite Of Solutions To Implement Chromebooks". iSchool Guide. Jan 24, 2015. http://www.ischoolguide.com/articles/6146/20150114/lausd-goguardian-chromebooks-google-ou-integration-anti-theft-for-school-standard-network-filters-opendns-google-console.htm. 
  7. ↑ "GoGuardian Launches Chromebook Management Tool for Teachers". The Journal. Sep 9, 2015. http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/09/09/goguardian-launches-chromebook-management-tool-for-teachers.aspx. 
  8. ↑ "GoGuardian Announces Nationwide Rollout of Digital Learning Solution". Yahoo Finance. Sep 10, 2015. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/goguardian-announces-nationwide-rollout-digital-165100625.html/. 
  9. ↑ Meyer, Lisa (September 9, 2015). "GoGuardian Launches Chromebook Management Tool for Teachers". https://thejournal.com/Articles/2015/09/09/GoGuardian-Launches-Chromebook-Management-Tool-for-Teachers.aspx. 
  10. ↑ "GoGuardian Announces Google Classroom Integration | Business Wire". 22 February 2016. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160222005625/en/GoGuardian-Announces-Google-Classroom-Integration. 
  11. ↑ "GoGuardian Announces Strategic Investment from Sumeru Equity Partners; Appoints Education Veteran Tony Miller to Board of Directors" (Press release). 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  12. ↑ "School internet filter maker launches suicide risk detector". https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/26/goguardian-beacon-suicide-prevention-filter-schools/. 
  13. ↑ "GoGuardian and Pear Deck Merge to Expand K-12 Classroom Management Offerings and Drive Greater Engagement and Effective Digital Learning" (in en). 2020-11-19. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201119005874/en/GoGuardian-and-Pear-Deck-Merge-to-Expand-K-12-Classroom-Management-Offerings-and-Drive-Greater-Engagement-and-Effective-Digital-Learning. 
  14. ↑ Slobe, Jake. "Pear Deck acquired by California-based edtech company | Clay & Milk". https://clayandmilk.com/2020/11/25/pear-deck-acquired-by-california-based-edtech-company/. 
  15. ↑ "GoGuardian Teacher". https://www.goguardian.com/teacher/. 
  16. ↑ "Privacy Policy for Product Users". https://www.goguardian.com/product-privacy/. 
  17. ↑ "GoGuardian Admin". https://www.goguardian.com/admin/. 
  18. ↑ Treanor, John (2020-09-08). "Spyware or safety: Is 'GoGuardian' on CCSD students' devices sharing personal information?" (in en). https://news3lv.com/news/local/spyware-or-safety-is-goguardian-on-ccsd-students-devices-sharing-personal-information. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Kamenetz, Anya. "Software Flags 'Suicidal' Students, Presenting Privacy Dilemma". NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/03/28/470840270/when-school-installed-software-stops-a-suicide. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "SCHOOL POLICIES AND REGULATIONS EXPOSE MASSACHUSETTS STUDENTS TO RISK OF SERIOUS PRIVACY VIOLATIONS". American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/school-policies-and-regulations-expose-massachusetts-students-risk-serious-privacy. 
  21. ↑ "2018 Technology Fast 500 award winners | Deloitte US" (in en). https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/fast500-winners.html. 
  22. ↑ "30 Under 30 2016: Education". https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30-2016/education/. 
  23. ↑ "International Design Awards - Architectural, Interior, Fashion, Product, Graphic Design Competition - International Design Awards". https://idesignawards.com/winners/index.php?compNum=IDA+15. 
  24. ↑ Tech & Learning 2016-12-28T13:40:00Z Resource (28 December 2016). "2016 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE" (in en). https://www.techlearning.com/resources/2016-awards-of-excellence. 

Further reading



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