The proctoring software the University of Ottawa planned to use this year is dystopian, using artificial intelligence from webcam footage to detect if a student is cheating. While Carleton University’s CoMaS software pales in comparison, it is still intrusive and puts the data of students at risk.
Its use must be halted by the university.
CoMaS, developed internally at Carleton, records random screenshots, webcam captures, network communications and the names of any documents opened during an exam to prevent cheating. This data is then transferred to Carleton-based servers and reviewed by Scheduling and Examination Services staff.
CoMaS’s ability to collect a trove of concerningly-personal data on thousands of university students puts them at risk by directly exposing their information to potential hacks. It’s every blackmailer’s or identity thief’s dream: screenshots, webcam pictures, network connections and file names.
History shows that this treasure chest of data is clearly vulnerable. In 2016, Carleton was the victim of a ransomware attack that demanded two Bitcoin in exchange for access to the university’s servers. Just last week, a security breach of Proctortrack, an e-proctoring software used by numerous Canadian universities, made clear the very real risks of collecting unnecessary data and storing it for hackers to poach.
While maintaining academic integrity is of course crucial to the nature of a healthy and functioning academic environment, doing so at the expense of students’ safety and privacy sends a distasteful message regarding where the university’s priorities lie.
There are clear e-proctoring alternatives that do not hold the same threats to personal security that CoMaS does. Be it BigBlueButton or even simply trusting students with an open-book exam, these alternatives should be fully adopted by Carleton instead of willingly putting its students at risk.
Featured graphic from file.
