# Chromebooks Approved for Use in Danish Public Schools: Data Protection Agency Approves Agreement with Google
**Public school students in Denmark can continue using Chromebooks for their studies after the summer break.**
The Danish Data Protection Agency (Datatilsynet) has given the green light to an agreement between the Danish Municipalities’ Association (Kommunernes Landsforening, KL) and Google, ensuring that starting August 1, municipalities will no longer share personal data that is not authorized under Danish law with Google. This information was reported by Folkeskolen.dk based on a press release from Datatilsynet.
The agreement allows public school students to continue using Chromebooks for lessons after the summer holiday. “The issue regarding the unauthorized sharing of some children’s personal information has now been resolved, and it is our assessment that municipalities are now in compliance with the directive. However, there are still some outstanding issues regarding the case,” stated Allan Frank, an IT security specialist and lawyer at Datatilsynet, according to a press release from Folkeskolen.dk.
In January 2024, 53 municipalities received directives from Datatilsynet prohibiting the use of Google’s Chromebooks and educational tools because the handling of data by the devices did not comply with Danish laws. A Chromebook is a portable computer operating on the ChromeOS system developed by Google. Unlike traditional computers that use typical software, Chromebooks rely on applications and internet connectivity, resulting in lower memory and storage requirements. This generally makes Chromebooks more affordable than conventional computers.
Datatilsynet first became aware of the issue in 2019 following a complaint from a father who found his eight-year-old son’s name and school visible on YouTube. Although the specific case has now been resolved, KL emphasizes that more measures are needed to ensure the safe public use of digital tools.
The Ministry of Digitalization and Gender Equality (Digitaliserings- og Ligestillingsministeriet) announced in June that work is underway to find solutions to this broader issue. In a press release from June, the ministry indicated that efforts are being directed towards a long-term resolution.
Datatilsynet has requested an opinion from the European Data Protection Board to clarify the data controller’s documentation obligations regarding the use of subprocessors by the data processor. Datatilsynet will conduct a final assessment of the subprocessor chain concerning municipalities’ use of Google’s products once a response from the Data Protection Board is available. The timeline for this assessment is not yet known.
**Tags:** #Education #DataProtection #Google #Chromebooks #Denmark #PublicSchools #Digitalization #DanishMunicipalities #ITSecurity