Westbank Louisiana News

On May 23, 2024, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, initiated an inquiry into Tutor.com over concerns that its users' sensitive data could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Tutor.com is owned by Primavera Capital Group, a Chinese investment firm with stakes in TikTok and ByteDance.

Tutor.com provides tutoring services to school districts in approximately half of all U.S. states. According to its privacy policy, the company collects data on its users including names, addresses, IP addresses, and recordings of tutoring sessions. Some state and local education agencies use federal funds to pay for Tutor.com's services. The company also has a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to provide services to military personnel and their families.

Chinese law mandates that companies based in China must "support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work," which raises concerns that Tutor.com could be compelled to share Americans' sensitive data with the CCP. National security experts warn that this information could be used to create files on individuals and families.

Senator Cassidy is requesting detailed information from Tutor.com regarding its policies for securing user data and ensuring it does not fall into CCP hands. "These contractual arrangements... raise highly significant student data privacy concerns because Chinese law requires companies based in China to 'support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work,'" wrote Dr. Cassidy. "Since these matters concern students’ online safety and privacy, the stakes could not be higher."

Cassidy's letter highlights several specific concerns:

1. The relationship between Primavera Capital Group and Tutor.com.

2. Data collection practices during signup and login processes.

3. Compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

4. Storage locations for user data.

5. Changes made since Primavera's acquisition in January 2022.

6. Policies related to recorded tutoring sessions.

7. Details of a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review requested by Tutor.com.

8. Responsibilities of Tutor.com's designated data security officer.

9. Biographical details of independent directors on Tutor.com's board.

Cassidy emphasizes that taxpayers fund many of the services provided by Tutor.com through federal programs such as COVID-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

The senator's inquiry underscores ongoing national security concerns related to Chinese ownership of companies handling sensitive American data.