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Draft:Proctorio

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  • Comment: when controversy section is forms the most of the article, one would to think if this is an attack page. – robertsky (talk) 08:00, 4 July 2021 (UTC)

Proctorio is a proctoring software that is made by an American company of the same name. In 2020, the software oversaw at least 21 million exams.[1] This is in comparison to 6 million in 2019.[2]

Proctorio
Founded2013
HeadquartersScottsdale, Arizona
Key people
Mike Olsen (CEO)
Websiteproctorio.com

History[edit]

Founder Mike Olsen created the company after realizing how expensive and inefficient remote proctoring was at the time. Back then, people were used to invigilate exams and Olsen thought that software and algorithms would be better suited to the job.[1]

Overview[edit]

Proctorio is an extension on Google Chrome that works through the usage of machine learning and facial detection.[3][4][5] The software allows users to upload their identification and uses the camera and microphone of user's devices.[6] The software does not make note of specific keystrokes or mouse movements.[3] However, the software makes use of eye tracking.[6] The software flags suspicious behaviour so that the professor can review them later.[7][8] This behaviour is reported in the form of a ranked list.[9]

Proctorio generally costs around $500,000 for one year.[10]

The Chrome extension has been installed at least 2 million times.[2]

Clients[edit]

Proctorio has been used by around 2,500 clients as of 2021.[1]

Current clients[edit]

Former clients[edit]

Criticism[edit]

In April 2020, Proctorio requested that an article written by Shea Swuager, a research librarian at University of Colorado Denver, be removed from a scientific journal because it claimed that Proctorio used facial recognition.[13] Swauger had previously stated that the software's flagging system for "abnormal behaviour" might be disadvantageous to people suffering from disabilities such as ADHD.[8]

Researcher Akash Satheesan concluded that Proctorio does not recognize Black faces 57 percent of the time, with other ethnicities receiving lower rates of failure. The conclusion was reached after it was determined that Proctorio uses OpenCV for its facial detection technology.[14]

In December 2020, Fight for the Future released a statement that called for McGraw Hill Education to end its partnership with Proctorio after such a deal was made that would allow Proctorio to be used during homework sessions.[15]

Vice revealed that Proctorio promoted its software with institutions that do not have contracts with them, such as Duke University, Baylor University, and Louisiana State University. The logos of such instituitions were removed, but not proactively.[16]

In June 2020, the University of Amsterdam student council lost and subsequently appealed a lawsuit against Proctorio.[17][18]

In September 2020, Proctorio sued Ian Linkletter, who criticized the software for increasing student anxiety, for copyright infringement. Linkletter shared the company’s instructional videos, which were later taken down from YouTube in the lead-up to the lawsuit.[7][10][13] Linkletter spent more than CA$107,000 on defence, of which $50,000 was raised by supporters.[19] Proctorio CEO Mike Olsen has argued that the lawsuit is solely tied to intellectual property concerns and not criticism of the company.[10] Linkletter lost the lawsuit after appeal.[20] The Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear a further appeal.

Proctorio had also prevented Erik Johnson, an engineering student from Miami University, from using the software by means of blocking his IP address after he made posts that criticized the software on Twitter and shared the software's code on Pastebin. Both the posts and the code were removed after a takedown notice, but the posts were later restored.[8][10][21] In April 2021, regarding this incident, the Electronic Frontier Foundation sued Proctorio for its handling of the situation.[21]

In 2022, Proctorio issued a subpoena against Fight for the Future in relation to the lawsuits against Johnson and Linkletter.[22][23]

In response to these controversies, Proctorio has hired two auditors to help the company make its software better for people of color and people with disabilities. It is also working on a feedback system for those who have had unfavourable experiences.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Caplan-Bricker, Nora (May 27, 2021). "Is Online Test-Monitoring Here to Stay?". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Sonnemaker, Tyler (November 1, 2020). "Tech companies promised schools an easy way to detect cheaters during the pandemic. Students responded by demanding schools stop policing them like criminals in the first place". Business Insider. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Haskell-Dowland, Paul (April 24, 2020). "ANU will invigilate exams using remote software, and many students are unhappy". The Conversation. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Zhou, Naaman (April 20, 2020). "Concerns raised over Australian universities' plan to use exam-monitoring software". The Guardian. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  5. ^ Toth, Laszlo Richard (April 17, 2020). "Students raise concerns over virtual proctoring". The Daily Illini. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Osborne, Charlie (April 20, 2020). "Students, university clash over forced installation of remote exam monitoring software on home PCs". ZDNet. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Chin, Monica (October 22, 2020). "An ed-tech specialist spoke out about remote testing software — and now he's being sued". The Verge. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Feathers, Todd; Rose, Janus (September 24, 2020). "Students Are Rebelling Against Eye-Tracking Exam Surveillance Tools". Vice. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  9. ^ Metz, Rachel (August 29, 2020). "Online school means online tests, along with computerized surveillance". CNN. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d Harwell, Drew (November 12, 2020). "Cheating-detection companies made millions during the pandemic. Now students are fighting back". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  11. ^ Wang, Kelly (May 15, 2021). "Western University to switch remote exam proctoring software". Global News. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  12. ^ Chin, Monica (January 29, 2021). "University will stop using controversial remote-testing software following student outcry". The Verge. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Feathers, Todd (October 21, 2020). "An Exam Surveillance Company Is Trying to Silence Critics With Lawsuits". www.vice.com. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Feathers, Todd (April 8, 2021). "Proctorio Is Using Racist Algorithms to Detect Faces". www.vice.com. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  15. ^ Ongweso Jr, Edward (December 21, 2020). "2,000 Parents Demand Major Academic Publisher Drop Proctorio Surveillance Tech". Vice. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  16. ^ Feathers, Todd (February 26, 2021). "Schools Are Abandoning Invasive Proctoring Software After Student Backlash". Vice. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Student Proctoring Software Gets First Test Under EU Privacy Law". Bloomberg Law. July 28, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  18. ^ "Univ. Amsterdam students file lawsuit over test-taking software, privacy concerns". NL Times. June 1, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  19. ^ Feathers, Todd (April 29, 2021). "Proctorio Is Doubling Down On Lawsuits Against Its Critics". Vice. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  20. ^ Hainsworth, Jeremy (2023-04-20). "B.C. court dismisses appeal in online exam supervision case". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  21. ^ a b Chin, Monica (April 22, 2021). "College student sues Proctorio after source code copyright claim". The Verge. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  22. ^ Chin, Monica (February 23, 2022). "Proctorio subpoenas digital rights group in legal spat with critical student". The Verge. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  23. ^ Rose, Janus (February 23, 2022). "Proctorio Is Going After Digital Rights Groups That Bash Their Proctoring Software". Vice. Retrieved May 6, 2022.

External links[edit]

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