Precautionary principle for students' data protection

This paper underscores the critical importance of data protection strategies in educational institutions to prevent potential emotional, physical, and financial harm to students arising from data leaks due cybersecurity incidents. The data of different cybersecurity reports reveals that most incidents pertain to unauthorized disclosures of personal data, potentially leading to significant financial harm as this data can be traded on the black market, indicating an urgent need for enhanced data protection measures. Existing data regulations are deemed insufficient in mitigating these risks, highlighting a need for preventive (ethical) principles to augment legal frameworks. This manuscript introduces the precautionary principle as a potent ethical guideline to enhance student data protection treatment. By bolstering these data processes, it aims to prevent cybersecurity incidents or at least limit their adverse impacts. The paper offers an in-depth exploration of the problem and makes a compelling case for the precautionary principle as a social value for caring for students' futures.