The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office announced a formal investigation into Tufts University and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) following reports alleging data was shared to “influence elections”.
The probe centers on the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE), hosted at Tufts. The school said institutions are authorized to use de-identified enrollment data matched to public voter files. However, the department says this raises significant Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act compliance and informed-consent concerns.
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Investigators said they will map data flows between participating colleges, Tufts, the NSC and vendors like Catalist and L2.
Frank Miller, the director of the U.S. Student Privacy Policy Office, told institutions to pause using this year’s data and warned colleges and universities nationwide that using it risks enforcement actions, like withholding payments and cease-and-desist orders.
The investigations could limit how over 1,000 colleges use NSLVE data this year, as the Department of Education warned this may affect student participation and campus engagement efforts.
