Students knew online proctoring software was creepy. The security issues came as a surprise

A @ConsumerReports investigation finds @Proctortrack may have put student data at risk by exposing videos of students in their bedrooms, copies of IDs & more
1/ https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-security/poor-security-at-online-proctoring-company-proctortrack-may-have-put-student-data-at-risk/

Online proctoring, which records videos of students taking remote tests, has exploded during the pandemic. Tens of thousands have been forced to use the software, in some cases against their will.

It bothered me, one student said "but I didn't have a choice." 2/

It's not just a privacy problem. Biased facial recognition can discriminate against students of color. People with some disabilities may be flagged for cheating for moving too much. Lower income students may feel uncomfortable welcoming the eyes of strangers into their homes 3/

But it turns out students may also be exposed to an additional, completely unnecessary risk. Experts say colleges and universities don't do enough to vet the education technology companies they work with.

Students may be forced to use software that isn't safe. 4/

Education technology companies often “are given a trust and a responsibility that they haven't proven that they deserve and have earned.” - @akilbello 5/

We even heard that from industry insiders. @artfulhacker, the CEO of Proctorio (a company that's had controversies of its own) says that while some colleges are better than others, he often deals with schools that aren't sophisticated about security issues 6/

CR learned about this story through a tip from two students, @ejohnson99 and @Oxylibrium, who've joined a vocal movement of students across the country arguing against the use of proctoring software. 7/

Colleges don't show any signs of slowing down with proctoring software, but students are pushing back, and championing an alternative way forward

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