The cost of round-the-clock convenience is their privacy. During exams, their every movement is captured on their computer’s webcam and scrutinized by Proctorio, a surveillance company that uses artificial intelligence. Proctorio software conducts “desk scans” in an effort to catch test-takers who turn to “unauthorized resources”, “face detection” technology to ensure there isn’t anybody else in the room to help and “gaze detection” to spot anybody “looking away from the screen for an extended period of time”.

…Such remote proctoring tools grew exponentially during the pandemic, particularly at US colleges and universities, where administrators seeking to ensure exam integrity during remote learning met with sharp resistance from students. Online petitions demanded institutions end the surveillance regime; lawsuits accused the tools of violating their constitutional rights and relying on “racist algorithms” that set off a red flag when the tool failed to detect Black students’ faces.

K-12 schools’ use of remote proctoring tools, however, has largely gone under the radar. Nearly a year since the federal public health emergency expired, an analysis by the 74 has revealed that K-12 schools nationwide – and online-only programs in particular – continue to use tools from digital proctoring companies on students, including those as young as kindergarten-aged children.

Hat-tip Paul McMonigle.

Read more:

Keierleber, M. (2024, April 18). Are your kids being spied on? The rise of anti-cheating software in US schools. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/apr/18/us-schools-anti-cheating-software-proctorio