GoGuardian, the surveillance software used in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), may be violating Canadian privacy laws and the rights of students. This tool not only tracks websites visited and search history, but also logs students’ IP addresses (which can reveal their location) and, in some cases, accesses webcams and microphones. These actions go far beyond what is necessary for classroom safety and learning. Under Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) and Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), students have the right to know what data is being collected, how it's used, and to give informed consent — which many students and parents were never clearly given. Watching students without their full understanding or permission, especially outside of school hours, is a major breach of trust and may even be illegal. The TDSB should immediately ban GoGuardian and seek alternative tools that respect Canadian law and protect students’ mental health, dignity, and privacy.
We must ban Go Guardian as the TDSB knows that we all want privacy and yet they still add a tracking app or something.