Prohibition of Non-European Online Collaborative Suites in French Schools
TL;DR: The document is a firm restatement of a ban on using services like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 in French schools, citing data privacy, the sensitivity of student information, and the need for educational neutrality. It emphasizes the use of French and European alternatives.
Ban on Non-Sovereign Solutions: The Ministry of Education strictly prohibits the use of non-sovereign (non-European, and particularly US-based) online collaborative suites in schools and educational institutions. This applies to both administrative/school management uses and pedagogical (teaching) uses.
Reasons for the Ban:
Sensitive Data: The Ministry considers data handled in educational settings to be highly sensitive for several reasons:
Exchanges between teachers and families may contain health information or information about disabilities (sensitive under GDPR Article 9).
The content of communications (absence dates, homework, etc.) could indirectly reveal sensitive personal data (racial/ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs).
Data related to students is inherently sensitive because most students are minors.
Educational Neutrality: Schools must remain neutral regarding commercial software. Students should be taught digital collaboration skills in a way that’s independent of any specific commercial platform. This fosters critical thinking and responsible use of digital tools.