ActiveLearn Data Processing FAQs

Last updated 24 October 2018

Useful Links

Looking for information about data processing, privacy, and GDPR? These links may be helpful.

General guidance on GDPR and ActiveLearn

Answers to common data questions

How do you store data?

All data is stored on servers in secure hosting facilities that are certified to ISO27001. This is in a Pearson Data Centre in London and AWS Cloud hosting in Ireland.

What do you do to minimise any risks?

Pearson has many security policies that govern the storage of and access to data. These cover access, location, encryption, vulnerability protection, monitoring, scanning of hardware and applications for vulnerabilities, penetration testing etc. These are enforced by our Security Operations Team.

What do you do with the data after termination of the contract?

Student and teacher details are deleted from our databases if they have not been accessed for 3 years.

Do you share data with any third party?

Please refer to the Digital Services Privacy Policy and the section which states 'Will Pearson Share with personal information with anyone else'. section.' There are a few vendors that are used to support ActiveLearn which include Amazon Web Services (AWS) for hosting within the EU and we use Cognizant to provide development / technical support and Concentrix who help with customer support queries.

When we use a vendor / supplier for ActiveLearn we have a contract in place with them that provides the same level of protection. When required we put in place a legal mechanism to cover any data transfers outside the EEA. For Cognizant and Concentrix we have EU model clauses in place.'

Why do you need a Date of Birth for student accounts?

We use D.O.B. as a way to identify a unique user. For example, if there are two students with the same name in the same school, then D.O.B. is a way that ActiveLearn can distinguish between them; for example, teachers can filter/search by D.O.B. to find and manage a specific learner's account.

We do not make use of Date of Birth information itself beyond this; it is perfectly fine for a teacher to enter a 'dummy' D.O.B. if they aren't comfortable with entering real dates.