UK Student Loans Company uses social media data in approving loans

In October 2018, in response to questions from a committee of MPs, the UK-based Student Loans Company defended its practice of using "public" sources such as Facebook posts and other social media activity as part of the process of approving loans. In one case earlier in the year, a student was told that a parent's £70 Christmas present meant the student did not qualify for a maintenance loan without means testing because it meant the student was not estranged from their family. SLC insisted that using these sources was part of its duty to look after the public funds it dispersed.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/oct/30/student-loans-firm-accused-of-kgb-tactics-for-assessing-eligibility

Writer: Richard Adams

Publication: Guardian

Publication date: 2018-10-30