I recently was checking through my extensions to ensure that they hadn't been infected with malware. While doing so, I found something very concerning, which, months later, explains a little bit about how SingularityMD managed to collect our information. 

There is an extension, called Gopher Buddy, installed on every Chromebook and Chrome browser in the district. It is admin locked and cannot be uninstalled.

Gopher Buddy has been identified as spyware by many people online for years. What's involved is concerning:

1) While Google already tracks your IP, Gopher Buddy additionally logs information like your "Google username, device ID, IP address, timestamp, and session length" to a separate server. This is logged every five minutes, which Gopher Buddy claims is standard in the industry, but according to a cybersecurity friend, is not at all. 

2) While it's sending information to administrators, the personal data is also being sold on other sites. This is a violation of Colorado's Privacy Protections for Children's Online Data Act(SB24-041). 

3) Additionally, Gopher Buddy can spread. The extension will identify anything on any device if a Google account is signed in on the device, including mobile and personal devices. It will search and locate the account even if the GopherBuddy extension is not installed.

4) Due to the fact that Gopher Buddy is installed by the Jeffco administrators, it cannot be uninstalled by students

This is beyond concerning.

Fortunately, we can act. Currently, the Colorado Senate is debating bills SB24-041, which adds additional data protection for minors.

Please call your senator and ask them to vote in favor of this bill!

Together, we can build a stronger cybersecurity future for the district.