Security, Legal, Ethical and Social Concerns

There are a number of security concerns surrounding the use of data mining in the college enrollment process. Data mining, by its very nature, involves tremendous amounts of data. In the college admissions process, the data is often obtained for and from children under 18. The types of data that are collected and stored are often personal and sensitive such as birthday and ethnicity. The data can be obtained from multiple sources. Security breaches are possible at any stage (ex. collection, transmission, storage) and could result in serious consequences such as identity theft.

There are legal and ethical issues related to the collecting, storing, analyzing and reporting of data on potential students. Two examples of these issues are described below.

In 2003 the Federal Trade Commission settled a lawsuit against Education Research Center of America, Inc. (ERCA) and Student Marketing Group, Inc. (SMG). The FTC claimed that these companies deceptively collected detailed personal information about K-12 students saying that it was for educational purposes (i.e. for use by colleges). However, the data was rarely used for the stated purpose. Instead, the companies sold it to marketers for commercial purposes.

In 2011 U.S. Representatives Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) requested information from the College Board and ACT, Inc. Each year these two companies collect information from millions of students when they take the SAT and ACT tests for college admission. The Representatives were concerned about how these companies collect, store and sell the names and personal information of students who take their tests. The two representatives were working on legislation that would protect the privacy of children under the age of 18.

Since data mining involves customer segmentation and categorizing an individual based on his or her attributes (including ethnicity, gender, etc.), there are possible social risks associated with this practice. For example, the College Board collects data on ethnicity and religion. Colleges and universities can buy this data and then use this to target specific populations.