Originality reports and privacy

If you use originality reports, Google doesn’t save the content that you submit for the report and doesn’t assume ownership of your content. That content belongs to you and your students. Originality reports search for what is publicly available on the web. They’re not permanently stored. 

Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals meets these compliance standards:

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA)
• Student Privacy Pledge introduced by the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF)
• ISO/IEC 27018:2014 (Data standards)
   

Accounts FAQ

Do institutions have to enroll in G Suite for Education?

Yes. Only instructors using G Suite for Education accounts can turn on originality reports for assignments. 

Can I get student assignments in a Google Drive associated with my personal (@gmail.com) address?

No. You can only get student assignments in a Google Drive associated with your G Suite for Education account.

Why can students turn in work from their personal (@gmail.com) Google Accounts?

We recognize that students sometimes prefer to create files in their personal Google Accounts. For student choice and ease of use, they can submit files from the Google Account where they created them. This flexibility simplifies the student workflow, avoiding account changes and file-ownership issues.

G Suite administrators can require students to use a school-issued Google Account with Assignments. Admins can modify the membership settings for Assignments in the Google Admin console.

Does it comply with FERPA to allow students to use personal (@gmail.com) Google Accounts to turn in and receive returned assignments?

Yes. The student makes the choice to use a personal Google Account. FERPA applies to assignments while they’re being handled by an educational institution. This law is why we require instructors and administrators to receive, store, and grade assignments in institutionally provided G Suite for Education accounts.

Privacy FAQ

How does Google ensure data privacy?

For information on how G Suite for Education collects, uses, and shares information, go to the G Suite for Education Privacy Notice.

Are student assignment files saved to a global repository?

No. Google doesn’t save assignment files to a global repository. However, instructors or the school can copy student submissions to the school’s Google Drive, which contains data owned and controlled by the school. G Suite Enterprise for Education institutions can have a private, school-owned repository of their student work that they can use for checking student matches in future originality reports.

To access the repository:

1. Go to the school matches admin page.
2. Click Originality Corpus.

Originality reports are automatically deleted after 45 days.

Do originality reports check sources in external institutions? If so, can those instructors see my students’ assignments?

No. Google doesn’t store student work in a repository to check against external institutions. Instructors in other institutions can’t see your students’ assignments.

G Suite Enterprise for Education institutions can have a privately-owned repository of their student work that they can use for future originality reports.

Related topics

• Privacy & Security Center
• How an originality report is created
• Turn on originality reports
• View an originality report