In the midst of the chaos of the pandemic, more and more schools across the country started experimenting on students with “eProctoring” surveillance software to ensure students aren't cheating.
After major news reports exposed the ways that this is harmful for students and doesn’t actually help anything, there has been a huge backlash, and a dozen schools have said that they won’t use spyware on their students - including top universities like Stanford, MIT, and Princeton.
Here are just a few reasons why schools need to ban eProctoring:
Facial recognition algorithms used by eProctoring companies are racist, with numerous Black students being forced to shine lights directly in their faces in order to be recognized by the AI.
eProctoring is ableist and discriminates against students who experience testing anxiety. The algorithms flag students for cheating for fidgeting, "too much eye movement," or reading questions out loud.
eProctoring discriminates against low income students because it requires a strong, consistent internet and requires students to be in an empty, silent room, which is not accessible for many students.
eProctoring programs can collect massive amounts of data, including keystrokes, browser history, and network data. Many programs collect and store biometric data like face, voice, and fingerprints.
Tens of thousands of students have already been impacted by data breaches, and there are multiple lawsuits against eproctoring companies over the data breaches, as well as against universities that forced students to use spyware in order to complete their courses.
Even though instructors are able to review the video of when students were flagged, ProctorU's own research found that only about 10% of flags are actually reviewed. This means that countless students may have been accused of cheating solely because of an algorithm.
This Disability Awareness Month, join 19 advocacy organizations who joined together to demand that schools cancel any existing eproctoring contracts and ban the technology until the biases are addressed. Inappropriate surveillance should not be a requirement for getting an education. See where your college or alma mater stands on eProctoring and tell school administrators to protect students and their privacy at: https://www.baneproctoring.com/.
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#ThisIsHowYouCan #TakeAction #FightAbleism #DisabilityRights #EndeProctoring