State universities deny claim Harris campaign improperly obtained student data

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign allegedly sent 70,000 unsolicited texts to Arizona State University students urging them to vote. The text campaign raised concerns about data acquisition.
Arizona State officials said that student contact information is public under federal law and denied any wrongdoing on the part of the university.
Republican State Sen. Jake Hoffman announced an investigation into the incident. He argued the law prohibits political campaigns from accessing students’ personal information.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, protects students’ information. However, FERPA allows universities to share its students directory information, or their contact information, without students’ consent.