Padlet Earns the Common Sense Privacy Seal: Safe, Creative Collaboration for 40 Million Users
Seal Spotlight Series – celebrating leaders in student data privacy.
“With the rise of AI, it is more important than ever to make sure we use AI services responsibly and privately. All of our AI prompting is done privately with premium services, so no user data is shared. The Common Sense Privacy Seal is a great way to explain to our customers how their privacy is protected.”
Zareen Levien, Education Marketing Manager, Padlet
From Creative Teams to Classrooms
Padlet makes visual collaboration tools for creative work and education, serving more than 40 million people worldwide. Its intuitive platform helps users collect, organize, and present anything on customizable boards, while sandboxes — collaborative digital canvases — power interactive lessons and whiteboarding activities. Teachers can create schedules, present lectures, and lead discussions in ways that inspire curiosity and fuel collaboration while staying confident that they are engaging in privacy-safe collaboration.
Why Privacy Matters Now More Than Ever
When it comes to protecting student data, compliance just isn’t enough anymore — the best technology solutions must earn the trust of educators, parents, and students. Schools scrutinize even the most popular tools to ensure that data isn’t being shared for marketing purposes or sold. And in an age of powerful AI, fear of misuse can slow adoption of otherwise transformative technologies. For EdTech brands, privacy leadership has shifted from “nice-to-have” to non-negotiable — the cost of entry for modern learning platforms.
Privacy Innovations That Set Padlet Apart
Padlet’s privacy approach goes beyond compliance to give schools and educators meaningful control:
- Granular board permissions let creators decide who can view, write, or comment on a Padlet.
- School-wide permissions let teachers and administrators easily establish safe sharing defaults that apply across all student accounts.
- Educator and admin controls allow districts to control publishing and sharing across entire accounts.
- Clear onboarding training helps schools understand and configure these privacy settings from day one.
- Technical safeguards like not logging IP addresses and broad compliance across a range of WCAG level AA criteria to further protect both privacy and accessibility.
These features give teachers flexibility while ensuring that student content remains safe, private, and under institutional control.
What the Seal Means for Schools
“Schools use a lot of digital tools to manage lessons, assignments, and collaboration but if I were stuck on a desert island of education, and could only bring one, it would be Padlet. It’s the one product I can recommend knowing parents will be comfortable with how their children’s information is protected. The Seal promises up-to-date privacy protections that help us keep Padlet in our toolbox for years to come.” — Kira Durant, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Campbell Union High School District
For school districts, the Seal simplifies procurement by reducing the due-diligence workload and providing instant reassurance that Padlet meets best-in-class protections. It’s also a commitment to regular policy updates and monitoring to continue to maintain their status as privacy leaders. It empowers educators to adopt new technology with confidence rather than caution and differentiates Padlet as a vendor whose privacy leadership is a competitive advantage.
Looking Ahead
In earning the Seal, Padlet has demonstrated a strong commitment to privacy as a core design principle, including in the development of safe and responsible AI tools. Through ongoing partnership with Common Sense Privacy, the company continues to improve its practices and align with evolving regulations. This approach gives schools confidence that Padlet will adapt responsibly, showing that innovation and privacy can go hand in hand.
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