Reflection

Student online data security is of utmost importance to me, as can be realized throughout the choices that I have made in the projects, posts, comments in this course. I was glad that I came across University of Texas Center for Identity's (UT CID) PrivacyCheck through a connection that I have at Information and Communications Technology Council, Canada. PrivacyCheck is the product that inspired me to come up with the idea of PrivaSearch. PrivaSearch has a very focused market that is behind the scenes, where most sensitive data is kept. Although it may not stand out among other EdTech ventures, it has an important position within the education market.

There were several aspects of this venture that I found challenging. For one, it was difficult to decide how I would approach investment. Because this product idea was borne of someone else (UT CID) I wasn't sure what direction I would take for getting this tool off the ground. Speaking to a developer friend of mine they suggested that there are two routes for a product like PrivaSearch: building software from scratch or extending off previous software designs. Building from scratch would obviously require heavy front-loading of funding and resources. This approach was taken off the table mostly because I'm not one to reinvent the wheel. Instead, I decided to go the extension path whereby approaching UT CID for their help to extend PrivacyCheck to create PrivaSearch. This leads to the biggest challenge I have with going forward with PrivaSearch: if I approach a team like UT CID with my idea, what is stopping them from taking such a simple extension of what they created, and running it without me. After all, as proud as I am with of this ide, and as much as I feel that it would succeed, I don't have the expertise as a software developer, a privacy lawyer or as a venture leader to follow through with it to market on my own.

Looking back at our first assignment, it was there that I said that I would consider creating a non-profit organization for this venture. I like the structure of the non-profit, and the community of like-minded organizations that it brings together, especially in the realm of data security: a realm that is surrounded by so many tech juggernauts. Through this venture I realized that PrivaSearch could not stand alone as a non-profit. I wasn't ready to research how I could involve companies or their foundations in this venture. Instead, I found out how to use the idea of freemium products and premium products to stay afloat. In my mind I could act as a non-profit offering the freemium PrivaSearch, but receive funding from educational agencies through the subscription of PrivaSearch's premium product. Although it would be lonely in this relatively small sphere of data privacy, especially one that focuses on education, I would find solace in knowing that PrivaSearch would help educators around the world make better, safer, and more informed decisions about the EdTech products they introduce to their classrooms.