Principles of processing personal data of minors in educational institutions

Abstract

The right to lawful processing of personal data of minors needs to be protected as the publicity of private institutions. This paper will discuss children's personal data and principles of processing in the framework of educational institutions, because educational institutions are organizations that process a particularly large amount of personal data and play an important role in the protection of minors' rights.  From March 1, 2024, a new version of the Law of Georgia "On Personal Data Protection" entered into force, which clearly emphasizes the importance of protecting and realizing the right to personal data and privacy of minors, all the more so when, parallel to the technological progress, the dangers of unjustified interference in the protected area are increasing every day. In educational institutions, there are frequent facts of illegal disclosure of minors' data without the consent of an authorized person, disproportionate processing, violation of audio-video monitoring rules and adoption of inappropriate organizational and technical measures. In this work, problematic issues in educational institutions in terms of processing personal data of minors will be identified, both from a practical and a legal point of view. Based on the study and analysis of the research results, recommendations will be developed that will help prevent violations such as honor and dignity violations, discrimination, bullying or other negative effects that affect the emotional state and development of the child.