Petition for the right to digital integrity at school

In Geneva, a petition demands that the State respect the digital integrity of students (illustrative photo).

Photo: KEYSTONE/LAURENT GILLIERON

In Geneva, a petition was launched by the Rune-Genève association for the Grand Council. She demands that the right to digital integrity voted by the people be respected in the canton’s schools.

On June 18, 2023, the electorate of the canton of Geneva accepted by an overwhelming majority (94.21%) the inclusion of a new right to digital integrity in the cantonal Constitution. The State of Geneva must apply this right without further delay to public education students, the Association Let’s Think About the Use of Digital and Screens (RUNE-Geneva) demanded in a press release on Thursday.

The association deplores in particular that the systematic creation of an EEL (online school) account from primary school for each student is carried out without parental consent even though they are minors. This measure is contrary to applicable law, she denounces.

If EEL accounts are directly managed by the State and hosted in Geneva, the same is not true for the online services to which these accounts can provide access. And to cite Google services as an example (Google ‘Class room’ and ‘Gmail’ messaging).

Right to disconnect

With its practices of digital use in schools, particularly primary schools, and the need for students to use digital devices at home, the Department of Public Instruction (DIP) contributes to the development of digital dependencies. It respects neither the right to an offline life nor the right to disconnect, the press release continues.

The apparent free nature of the solutions chosen by the DIP often appears as a decision-making argument. However, it happens that relatively inexpensive local solutions are ruled out. Rune-Genève asks that regional or national companies respecting the right to digital integrity and not practicing any type of surveillance be given priority.

/ATS