South Michigan News

Washington, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Representative Tim Walberg (MI-05) has taken a stand regarding the national security and child privacy concerns surrounding Tutor.com, an online tutoring platform widely used in school districts across the United States. In a letter addressed to Secretary Cardona, Walberg, along with twelve colleagues, raised questions about Tutor.com's ties to the Chinese government and its potential risks to sensitive information.

The lawmakers expressed their worries in the letter, stating, “Tutor.com collects sensitive data on its users and tutors, including names, locations, IP addresses, and recordings of the tutoring sessions. According to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China, any entity based in China is obligated to share information with Beijing if asked to do so. This poses a significant national security threat.”

Tutor.com, owned by Primavera Capital Group, a Chinese firm with connections to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has come under scrutiny for its operations. An independent review conducted by Parents Defending Education revealed that K-12 schools in at least 25 states have contracts with Tutor.com, now headquartered in China. This revelation raises concerns about potential security breaches in school databases and critical infrastructure, putting sensitive teacher and student information at risk.

In response to Walberg's initiative, Nicki Neily, Executive Director of Parents Defending Education Action, commended the efforts, stating, "We should not allow a geopolitical adversary to gain access to our schools. PDE Action applauds Rep. Walberg in his efforts to call on the Department of Education to take immediate action against this threat."

For more details, the full text of the letter can be accessed HERE.