⚡ Lightning Chat: Proxies, VPNs, and the Hidden Risks on School Devices

We’re launching something new: Lightning Chats — quick, candid convos with experts on the front lines of edtech. Think of it as an edtech podcast without the long intros, awkward banter, or focus on subscribers.

For our first episode, Matthew Burg (Principal Product Manager, Lightspeed Filter) sits down with Rob Chambers (EVP of Product) to unpack a challenge schools (and Lightspeed) know all too well: students constantly looking for ways to bypass web filters.

Here’s a taste of what they cover:

  • The risks of proxies, VPNs, and other anonymizers and bypass tools—from security to safety to compliance
  • What’s new (and what’s the same as ever) when it comes to students attempting to bypass protections
  • What schools should be doing to protect against these bypass attempts
  • How Lightspeed takes a layered approach to filter bypass protections—including a discussion of how Signal, our latest product, adds another layer of protection at the source

🎧 Watch the full Lightning Chat

Fast, focused, and informational — just how we like it.

Recommended Content

Building Collaboration Between IT and Teachers

With today’s digital learning environment pervasive at all levels of K-12 education, effective edtech usage is paramount to deliver desired student learning outcomes. However, doing so requires...

Celebrating Student Success in the Classroom

A big part of the teaching profession involves pointing out mistakes, correcting errors and the like. But, as always, it’s important to present a balance to constructive, corrective feedback by...

What’s a Teacher to do in Managing Classroom Distractions?

Effectively managing classroom distractions has been a challenge for teachers for generations. Only now, in an era of the digitally empowered classroom, effectively dealing with classroom distr...
Recent Posts

Protecting K-12 Districts from Cyberattacks | Part 3

As we wrap up our series during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, let's focus on proactive measures beyond basic defenses. This includes checklists, expert recommendations, online resources, and tools like Lightspeed's offerings to fortify your district.

Protecting K-12 Districts from Cyberattacks | Part 2

The sad truth is that cybercriminals are always looking for the next vulnerability, whether that comes from taking advantage of human error or reaping the rewards of sophisticated scams. For K–12 school districts, these threats are becoming more frequent, more complex, and more disruptive.

Protecting K-12 Districts from Cyberattacks | Part 1

The consequences are severe. A successful breach doesn't just endanger student privacy; it can compromise staff data, disrupt emergency communications, halt payroll, and erase critical records like coursework or financial documents.