IKeepSafe

Name

IKeepSafe

Legal name

The Internet Keep Safe Coalition

Website

https://ikeepsafe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Technology Privacy Certification

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Data Privacy Management & Consent (FERPA/GDPR/COPPA) (EDAFALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Privacy Management (Consent, DSAR, RoPA) (HDADAFAH), Data Privacy & Data Protection (e.g., GDPR/CCPA) (EDABADAC)

Keywords

• Privacy certification services
• Education technology compliance
• Student data privacy
• COPPA safe harbor
• FERPA certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Privacy Certification Services: iKeepSafe generates revenue through charging education technology vendors for comprehensive privacy assessments and certification services. Vendors pay for product evaluations to obtain FERPA, COPPA Safe Harbor, California Student Privacy Certified, and ATLIS badges.
2. Annual Re-evaluation Services: Products participating in iKeepSafe assessments must undergo annual re-evaluation to continue displaying certification badges, providing recurring revenue through compliance monitoring.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

iKeepSafe (The Internet Keep Safe Coalition) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides independent privacy certification assessments for education technology products. The organization evaluates EdTech vendor products against federal student data privacy laws (FERPA, COPPA) and state laws (California SOPIPA and related codes, Colorado HB 1423), issuing certification badges that vendors display to schools. It also produces free digital citizenship curricula and educator training resources for parents, teachers, and administrators.

Product overview

iKeepSafe is a nonprofit certification organization that provides privacy and data safety assessments for education technology products. The core offering consists of four certification programs: FERPA Privacy Certification, COPPA Safe Harbor Certification, California Student Privacy Certified, and ATLIS Privacy Certification. These certifications are accompanied by Product Profile badges that communicate vetted privacy practices to educational agencies. Beyond certifications, iKeepSafe provides educational resources including the Data Privacy in Education free online training course for K-12 educators, the BEaPRO digital citizenship curriculum for students K-12, Faux Paw the Techno Cat character-based resources for younger children, and the Youth/Parent Fireside Chat community presentation materials. The organization also partners with Google on the Be Internet Awesome program. All offerings are focused on helping EdTech vendors achieve compliance with federal and state student data privacy laws while supporting schools, parents, and educators in protecting student information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BEaPRO: Digital literacy initiative aimed at helping parents and educators prepare students to create, collaborate, and share responsibly in the 21st century. Includes privacy curriculum matrix for K-12.
• Faux Paw the Techno Cat
• Faux Paw's Cybersecurity Superstars Curriculum

Products and services

• FERPA Privacy Certification Independent assessment program certifying that technology products comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), giving educators and parents confidence that student data is protected. Products undergo annual re-evaluation by independent privacy experts.
• COPPA Safe Harbor Certification FTC-approved Safe Harbor program that assesses and certifies products for compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), protecting certified companies against FTC fines and legal action.
• California Student Privacy Certified (CSPC) Comprehensive certification of compliance with California state privacy laws including SOPIPA, California Education Codes (Contracts with Technology Providers, Student Information from Social Media), and Colorado HB 1423.
• ATLIS Student Data Privacy Certification Privacy certification developed in partnership with the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS), building on FERPA, COPPA Safe Harbor, and CSPC certifications to meet high standards required by ATLIS member independent schools.
• Data Privacy in Education Educator Training Course Free online professional development course curriculum for K-12 educators and administrators, including lessons, videos, quizzes, and supplemental resources on student data privacy.
• BEaPRO Digital Citizenship Curriculum Digital literacy initiative helping parents and educators prepare students to create, collaborate, and share responsibly. Includes a comprehensive matrix with learning activities, discussion guides, and vocabulary by age group for K-12.
• Faux Paw the Techno Cat Character-based digital citizenship curriculum and educational resources teaching children (Pre-K through grade 3) about safe and responsible technology use, featuring the Faux Paw cat mascot.

Quantifiable outcome

• iKeepSafe badges help vendors complete sales to schools
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCETPA recommends education technology decision makers refrain from signing contracts with edtech vendors who are not communicating their compliance through third-party certification such as iKeepSafe, providing significant market validation.
• Data Quality CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit organization focused on education data policy that supports student data privacy awareness.
• Digital Citizenship InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting digital citizenship education and resources for families and educators.
• National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneriKeepSafe co-hosts the annual NICE K-12 Cybersecurity Education Conference, a two-day event focused on cybersecurity career awareness and workforce development.
• Student Data Privacy ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium focused on student data privacy that partners with iKeepSafe for privacy initiatives.
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Google's Be Internet Awesome program, where iKeepSafe partnered with Google, Family Online Safety Institute, and ConnectSafely to launch a program teaching kids to be safe online.
• Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer iKeepSafe/ATLIS Student Data Privacy Certification for independent schools, providing independent third-party review of privacy policies and practices.
• Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing resources and expertise on identity theft and privacy protection for families.
• Michigan Department of EducationminorOthersState education department partner supporting student data privacy initiatives.
• US Cyber GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting cybersecurity education and workforce development initiatives.
• Stop Think ConnectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational cybersecurity awareness campaign partnership.
• EdupathsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational technology partner supporting privacy initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC): SDPC is a national collaborative of schools, districts, and EdTech vendors that develops privacy frameworks and resource exchanges. It is a complementary ecosystem player rather than a direct certification competitor to iKeepSafe.

Broad incumbents

• Google for Education: Google is both an iKeepSafe partner (Be Internet Awesome) and a broad incumbent whose Workspace for Education privacy posture competes for K-12 district mindshare and serves as a de facto alternative to third-party certification.
• Microsoft Education: Microsoft Education is a broad incumbent providing its own privacy commitments and compliance documentation to schools, serving as a scale alternative to third-party certifications for districts evaluating Microsoft 365 Education tools.
• TrustArc: TrustArc (formerly TRUSTe) is a broad incumbent privacy compliance and certification provider across industries, including assessments for children's data and education verticals. It competes with iKeepSafe in the privacy assessment layer while serving a much wider customer base.

Direct peers

• kidSAFE Seal Program: kidSAFE is an FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor and Children's Privacy certification program for child-directed sites, apps, and EdTech products. It offers a parallel tier of certification badges to iKeepSafe's.
• ESRB Privacy Certified: ESRB Privacy Certified (formerly ESRB COPPA Safe Harbor) is an FTC-approved Safe Harbor for online services directed to children, including games and educational apps. It is a closely analogous Safe Harbor model to iKeepSafe's.
• BBB National Programs (CARU): The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) operates as a self-regulatory body and Safe Harbor under COPPA, providing compliance assessments to children's product companies that overlap with iKeepSafe's vendor certification services.
• Common Sense Media (Common Sense Privacy): Common Sense Privacy evaluates EdTech products for privacy compliance and provides ratings used by schools and parents, competing directly with iKeepSafe's vendor certification and educator/parent advisory use cases.
• PRIVO: PRIVO is another FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor that provides privacy certifications and parental consent management for children's online services. It is the most directly comparable alternative to iKeepSafe's COPPA and student data privacy offerings.

Emerging players

• VeraSafe: VeraSafe is a privacy certification and compliance advisory firm, including children's privacy and GDPR services, that overlaps with iKeepSafe's regulatory certification offering but is not specialized in K-12 EdTech.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iKeepSafe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ikeepsafeorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/iKeepSafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-internet-keep-safe-coalition

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IKeepSafe