Recently, Kettering University made the decision that it would begin to use the HonorLock proctoring software for coming semesters in order to cut down on student cheating. While the goal is admirable, one that the students admit is a necessity, the methodology is not. For those unaware of the service and its functions, HonorLock utilizes an AI which monitors students while taking exams to ensure that they are not cheating. To begin, students must take a picture of themselves and then their ID with a webcam and submit it to the application to ensure that this is the correct student. Next, the student must scan their room with the webcam to show that there is no one else in the room and that there are no materials present that are not allowed by the instructor. After completing these tasks, the student is then allowed to take the exam. During the exam, the service will then watch and listen to the student via the webcam as well as monitor all activities on the student's devices to ensure that no cheating occurs.

The use of this service stands as a monolithic invasion of student privacy, collecting and storing large amounts of student data, as well as introduces the possibility for students to be inadvertently flagged for cheating by a system that may not be able to perform its function properly. Students did not sign up to let a third party access and store their private information, and as such should not be forced into doing so. There are other, significantly less invasive, methods of which the school could have utilize to quell this issue, such as simple video proctoring, but they ultimately chose to ignore student privacy in the name of quickly solving an issue.
 
For more information, I invite you to read the service's privacy policy in the link below.
https://honorlock.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Honorlock_App_Privacy_Policy_032020.pdf