To comply with new cybersecurity industry standards, students and faculty must now download a digital certificate to connect to PAUSD Wi-Fi.

PAUSD’s Operations and Security Manager Ignacio Padilla said the district blocks certain malicious websites as required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act and tries to filter websites on an as-needed basis.

“Social media right now is being blocked more at the elementary level and the middle schools, not at the high school level,” Padilla said. “Because we understand that social media is also used for clubs and for other things that students use, we meet and talk about what needs to be blocked or unblocked, and then we do it that way.”

New Wi-Fi Setup Introduced

Padilla said the new digital certification will authenticate users and devices to provide better security for all devices.

“The industry is moving through cert-based authentication, and that’s what our new network environment is required to do,” Padilla said.

Senior Jerry Yan, president of Capstone Programming Club, said he was initially hesitant to  use the PAUSD Wi-Fi because of the longer configuration download process.

“One month into the semester, I decided finally, ‘Well, I’m gonna give this a shot,’ and it still took me 30 minutes to understand how to use it and also teach other people how to use it,” Yan said. “Most other people just did not know how to log in, because it required a lot of intermingling with System Preferences and also downloading a whole configuration, which was a little invasive in some ways.”

Yan also said he thinks the district could make the Wi-Fi easier to access.

“I understand that PAUSD is currently trying to protect its Wi-Fi from people who are not in the school,” Yan said. “But if they can find a solution that could first kick out the step of having to download the configuration, that would be a great first step to making Wi-Fi more accessible to more Paly students.”

But computer science and engineering teacher Kathryn Widen said the addition of downloading a configuration strengthens the Wi-Fi network’s security.

“It means that we know the devices on the network are attached to students, and it’s going to protect us from a random person joining our network and then trying to wreak havoc,” Widen said. “It also means that less hijinks can occur, like people connecting to the TVs.”

Still Yan said he prefers the Wi-Fi setup PAUSD used in previous years. 

“You just clicked, ‘I consent to this configuration being added onto my computer,’” Yan said. “Downloading a whole configuration is just tedious, and also downloading something itself has privacy risks because there could be malware from downloads.”

Despite student concerns, Padilla said there are no safety risks with downloading the Wi-Fi certification. He also said students and teachers wanting to improve their data privacy at school could do so by using strong passwords and making sure to log out of borrowed devices.

“If you don’t log out, and you leave your device open, somebody else can come in and use your account,” Padilla said. “Also, we recommend using the password manager. There are a lot of tools out there that people can do searches for.”

And Widen said she recommends students avoid connecting to unsecure Wi-Fi networks in public spaces such as cafes and stores. 

“If I’m in a situation where I’m using public Wi Fi, I’m not doing anything with any secure information,” Widen said. “So I’m not going to my bank account. I’m not buying anything online, because the problem with those public networks is anyone can set them up.”

While public networks pose security risks, Yan said the school Wi-Fi raises concerns around transparency and that the district should give students more information about the new Wi-Fi configuration.

“When you’re trying to log into the Wi-Fi, PAUSD should tell you that one, we are able to use information about where you browse to investigate into egregious actions on the internet, such as cyberbullying,” Yan said. “They can give some heads up that if you do something bad, there could be consequences.”

Who Has Access to Student Data?

Yan also said although data privacy is important, the district’s access to limited data from devices connected to the Wi-Fi network is necessary.

“Let’s say someone signs you up for a really bad website,” Yan said. “They can trace it back to your IP which I think itself is good for a school’s ability to protect and defend against bullying in general.”

Furthermore, Padilla said the district’s access to data is tightly controlled, and that they collect the IPs and activity of devices on specific websites, but only three administrators have direct access to those logs.

“We only see them when somebody reports an issue to us,” Padilla said. “It could be an administrator or a teacher who goes to the administrator and reports to us that they would like to see the activity of what happened if they’re working on a case.”

Chromebooks vs. Personal Devices

Padilla also said the district recommends students use Chromebooks at school because they have up-to-date safety tools and are designed for educational programs.

“The Chromebooks that we have to provide are the high-end Chromebooks that have all the tools that you guys need to learn,” Padilla said. “Especially for testing, all the browsers work on Chromebooks better than any other device.”

Additionally, Padilla said Chromebooks are harder to hack than personal devices. 

“We have had a couple students that have personal devices come and connect to the network, and then we see traffic that is going to bad websites,” Padilla said. “When we track it down, we find out those computers had a virus without the user knowing.”

From a teacher’s perspective, Widen said she advises her students to use the computer they are most comfortable with.

“If your personal laptop is a machine you’re really comfortable using, that’s probably the best situation,” Widen said. “If you’re worried about something happening to your computer at school, use your Chromebook, because accidents can happen.” 

Educating Students on Privacy

Ultimately, Yan said the district should teach students more about data privacy, as more data is being sold to companies and used to train AI. 

“I’ve had five different scam calls coming in in the last week,” Yan said. “I think it is a big issue, and students need to understand more about it.”

Padilla said, though, there are more resources available today than ever for students interested in internet safety and data privacy. 

“When I was growing up, Google was not there,” Padilla said. “But now, with AI and Google and every other tool that you have online, I think students can learn a lot about technology and also about cybersecurity.” 

Regarding PAUSD specifically, Padilla said the district can discuss adding more information on technology-related changes like the new Wi-Fi setup to the district’s website page on technology use.

“I’m going to talk to my team so we can have more about the Wi-Fi, and why you need to connect to the Wi-Fi now with the certification and explain that that’d be good to put there,” Padilla said.

Widen said although some students might not see the importance of protecting their internet activity and information, issues around data privacy will only increase as the world’s reliance on technology evolves.

“When you’re a teenager, you don’t necessarily have the life experience to understand the value of privacy, especially in a world where we see people get famous on TikTok and by streaming video games,” Widen said. “So be aware that who has access to things that you do online can be really harmful for your future.”