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DSB bans Microsoft from using tracking cookies in schools, improving student privacy and encouraging cookie-free, ethical classroom technology.
The Austrian data protection control (DSB) ordered that Microsoft stop using tracking cookies in its educational software, which is an important step for the privacy of student data. The privacy group Noyb (None of Your Business) brought attention to the January 21 verdict, which comes with growing scrutiny of GDPR compliance for Microsoft education tools.
The issue started in 2024 when Noyb submitted complaints claiming that Microsoft's education suite installed tracking cookies on computers used by children, often without permission, in violation of EU data protection regulation standards. Microsoft was found to have "illegally" tracked students and demanded access to their personal information in an earlier decision by DSB.
The DSB stated in the most recent directive that Microsoft did not have a "legal basis" to treat minors' personal data with unnecessary cookies. The business is now required to stop using these cookies within four weeks, highlighting the importance of classroom technology solutions that prioritize privacy. According to Noyb, these cookies collected behavioral data for analytics and advertising, which privacy activists claim violates the GDPR's strict personal information protection rules. "Clearly, tracking minors isn't privacy-friendly," stated a Noyb data protection attorney, Felix Mikolasch.
Although Microsoft stated that it is "examining the decision," it highlighted that Microsoft 365 for Education meets all required data protection standards, allowing schools to keep using the program while following EU regulations. This will lead to the development of cookie-free classroom technology. Also motivating tech companies to apply next-generation privacy-by-design frameworks as European regulators focus more on student privacy protections.
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