New Article on the Development of a Data Protection Certification for Educational Information Systems Published in Datenschutz & Datensicherheit

In our new technical paper, we are reporting on the development of a data protection certification for information systems in schools within the project DIRECTIONS.

Key findings include:

• Purpose: GDPR certifications can build trust and transparency, especially in education where technical and legal expertise is often lacking. The DIRECTIONS project aims to bridge this gap.
• Challenges: Developing school-specific criteria is complex due to inconsistent state laws, and approval processes are time-consuming—the final certification may take years.
• Benefits: A successful DIRECTIONS certification would create a legally secure framework for student and teacher data, support the edtech market, and enable compliant, innovative digital learning environments.

Title: Schulische Informationssysteme: Entwicklung einer Datenschutzzertifizierung.

Authors: Eva Späthe, Jan Torben Helmke, Marcel Kohpeiß, Sebastian Lins, Philipp Danylak, Gerrit Hornung and Ali Sunyaev

Read the full paper (in German) here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11623-025-2158-4

or Springer Nature full-text view-only version:  https://rdcu.be/eNcrU