The US Federal Trade Commission on Thursday said it intends to take action against educational technology companies that unlawfully collect data from children using online educational services.

In a policy statement, the agency said, “Children should not have to needlessly hand over their data and forfeit their privacy in order to do their schoolwork or participate in remote learning, especially given the wide and increasing adoption of ed tech tools.”

The agency says it will scrutinize educational service providers to ensure that they are meeting their legal obligations under COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

“Students must be able to do their schoolwork without surveillance by companies looking to harvest their data to pad their bottom line,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. “Parents should not have to choose between their children’s privacy and their participation in the digital classroom.”

The Federal Trade Commission voted 5-0 to adopt the policy statement, indicating that willingness to defend children’s privacy extends across party lines – three of the FTC commissioners are Democrats and two are Republicans.

The White House issued a statement in support of the vote, which aligns with Biden administration statements calling for greater privacy protection.