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by NIL8 1390 days ago
This is great news! I tried to do something about this in Florida and Georgia. I couldn't believe that they insisted on using a company with international players to hijack student's computers and we were just expected to go along with it. These "proctors" have open access to student's computers, all of their personal information, and even worse, their cameras and microphones. Most students don't know to prepare their computer before downloading the app or to remove the app entirely after the exam. Without removing the app, the company's employees can still access student computers without the student's permission. There's no way to know exactly what the app is capable of and there's nobody to speak to about it. I ended up reaching out to the Deans at these universities, but they were dismissive and told me that students can opt out of the proctored exam if they had permission from their instructor. Well, the instructors were told to use the app exclusively, without exceptions so, no, students could NOT opt out. Since this was a brick wall, I spoke to the local news outlets to see if I could get help with shining a light on this mess, but nobody wanted to take it on. I had other pressing things going on in my life and at that point I finally gave up. It's nice to see it being taken seriously now.