A significant data mishap led to the collection of biometric data from NSW school students through a new Microsoft Teams feature, which the Department of Education did not notice for weeks. Microsoft introduced the feature in mid-March, enabling biometric data collection via school-issued computers. The Department only realized the issue in early April and disabled the function immediately.
A Microsoft spokesperson assured that no one could access individual biometric data, and the company encrypted and securely stored the data according to privacy standards.Despite this, Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car, has requested the Department to provide a full briefing on the situation. A Department spokesperson clarified that they did not retain any biometric data and deleted all data collected during the time the feature was active.
The new Teams feature allowed users to enroll voice and facial recognition for Teams meetings. Once the Department identified the issue, they quickly disabled the feature and removed any created face or voice recognition profiles.
Shadow Education Minister Sarah Mitchell expressed serious concerns, calling it a “complete breach of privacy and trust for every student and parent” in NSW. She highlighted the uncertainty about how long the data had been stored and how it might have been used. Mitchell also stressed that some parents might not even know about the issue and demanded immediate transparency, including notifications to affected students and parents.
The Department of Education confirmed that it does not collect student biometric data. Still, the situation raised significant privacy concerns. Authorities are investigating the breach to ensure future protections for student data.
