Hanoi students caught using AI to cheat in graduation exam
Two students in Hanoi used mobile phones to photograph questions from the national high school graduation exam and submitted them to AI apps like StudyX, Gemini, and ChatGPT for answers. Proctors detected the cheating, and the students were suspended. Hanoi police are investigating the incident, which has raised concerns about exam security and integrity. The students face disqualification and possible administrative or criminal penalties.
- AI system involved
- StudyX, Gemini, ChatGPT
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Texas A&M Professor Uses ChatGPT to Falsely Accuse Students of Cheating
Jared Mumm, an instructor at Texas A&M University–Commerce, used ChatGPT to check if students' writing was AI-generated, leading him to accuse them of using the chatbot. He informed students they would receive an incomplete grade and those deemed guilty would get a zero, causing distress and temporarily withholding one student's diploma. The university investigated and stated that no students failed or were barred from graduating, and the professor is working individually with students to resolve the issue.
- Company involved
- Texas A&M University–Commerce
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
5 source articles · read the reporting →
UNC Professor Scraped Trans People's Videos for Facial Recognition Dataset
Karl Ricanek, a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, scraped YouTube videos of 38 trans people documenting their hormone therapies to build the HRT Transgender Dataset. The dataset, created without ethical approval, was shared with other researchers and remained publicly accessible via Dropbox until April 2021. The subjects were not properly consented, and many videos had been deleted from YouTube by their posters. The incident raises privacy concerns about the use of biometric data from vulnerable communities.
- Company involved
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- AI system involved
- HRT Transgender Dataset
3 source articles · read the reporting →
UCLA abandons facial recognition plans after test reveals racial bias
UCLA had proposed using facial recognition surveillance on campus, scanning faces and checking them against a mugshot database. Fight for the Future tested Amazon Rekognition on photos of UCLA sports teams and faculty, finding that the software falsely matched 58 individuals, mostly people of color, with mugshot photos. Following community backlash and the test results, UCLA's administration announced it was abandoning the plan.
- Company involved
- UCLA
- AI system involved
- Rekognition
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Chinese university deploys facial recognition for attendance monitoring
A university in eastern China has installed a facial recognition system at its entrance and in two classrooms to monitor student attendance and behaviour. The system automatically captures students' faces without their cooperation. The pilot project is intended to improve attendance rates. No specific incidents of harm have been reported.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
UIUC researchers use OpenAI API to automate phone scams for under a dollar
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used OpenAI's Realtime API to create AI agents that can autonomously execute phone scams. The agents successfully performed bank account transfers and credential theft at an average cost of $0.75 per scam. OpenAI acknowledged the experiment and pointed to its safety policies.
- Company involved
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- AI system involved
- GPT-4o Realtime API
6 source articles · read the reporting →
China's vocational school students exploited as data annotators for AI
Vocational schools in China force students to work as data annotators for AI companies, paying subminimum wages and taking commissions. Students like Lucy in Shandong spent months labeling data for autonomous driving and content moderation systems, with little learning or career advancement. The practice continues despite new regulations.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
University of Miami used surveillance to track student protesters
The University of Miami used video surveillance and possibly facial recognition technology to identify students who participated in a 'die-in' protest on September 4, 2020. The students were then summoned to a meeting with the dean of students. The university denied using facial recognition, but the police department's resume mentions its use. Students reported feeling anxious and watched.
- Company involved
- University of Miami
9 source articles · read the reporting →
UBC students raise concerns over Proctorio's privacy breach and discrimination
The University of British Columbia (UBC) uses Proctorio, an algorithmic test proctoring software, for remote exams. In June 2020, a UBC student reported an issue with Proctorio, and the company's CEO released the student's support chat logs, sparking privacy concerns. The AMS of UBC published an open letter alleging that Proctorio discriminates against students of colour, those with disabilities, and other groups by flagging 'abnormal' behaviours and denying access. The letter calls on UBC to end its contract with Proctorio and conduct an external audit.
- Company involved
- University of British Columbia
- AI system involved
- Proctorio
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ProctorU threatens UC Santa Barbara faculty over privacy criticism
ProctorU, an online proctoring service, sent a legal threat letter to the University of California Santa Barbara faculty association after the association expressed concerns about ProctorU's data privacy policies. The letter, from ProctorU's lawyer, invoked defamation, copyright, and trademark claims, and was copied to state and federal prosecutors. The faculty association had asked the university to reconsider its relationship with ProctorU due to concerns about student data sharing.
- Company involved
- ProctorU
- AI system involved
- ProctorU
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ProctorU data breach exposes 444,000 user records
ProctorU, an online exam proctoring service, confirmed a data breach after a threat actor leaked a database of user records on a hacker forum. The database contained email addresses, names, addresses, phone numbers, and hashed passwords for approximately 444,000 users, including students from universities such as UCLA, Princeton, and Harvard, as well as U.S. military members. ProctorU stated that the breach involved records from 2014 and that they are investigating the incident.
- Company involved
- ProctorU
- AI system involved
- ProctorU
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Proctortrack data breach exposed student data from online proctoring
Proctortrack, an online proctoring service used by universities, suffered a data breach in September 2020 when its source code was leaked online. An analysis by Consumer Reports found that the code contained hard-coded passwords and exposed the names and email addresses of over 150 students. The company acknowledged the leak but said no harm resulted. Students had been required to use the software, which performed facial recognition and recorded video during exams.
- Company involved
- Proctortrack
- AI system involved
- Proctortrack
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Proctorio's exam proctoring system allows human agents to review student feeds despite privacy claims
A security researcher analyzed Proctorio's Chrome extension and found evidence that the system allows human agents to review students' room scans and live ID checks, contrary to Proctorio's claims that only professors can access recordings. The system flags students based on behavioral metrics and can terminate exams. The researcher also raised concerns about discrimination against low-income students and privacy violations.
- Company involved
- Proctorio
- AI system involved
- Proctorio
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Student flagged by ProctorU for reading aloud during exam
A college student, Dana Jo, was flagged by ProctorU test proctoring software for talking during an exam, which she says was reading a question aloud. Her professor initially gave her a zero and placed an academic infraction on her record, jeopardizing her scholarships. After reviewing a video recording, the professor apologized, reinstated her grade, and removed the infraction. ProctorU's CEO stated that the incident highlights the importance of video recordings for review.
- Company involved
- University (not named)
- AI system involved
- ProctorU
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Nevada's AI grad score model cuts funding for low-income students
Nevada replaced its income-based school funding formula with a machine learning model developed by Infinite Campus that generates a 'grad score' for each student. The model reduced the number of students eligible for supplemental funding from 288,000 to 63,000, disproportionately affecting low-income students. Critics argue the model lacks transparency and de-emphasizes economic status, potentially leaving many high-poverty schools underfunded.
- Company involved
- Nevada Department of Education
- AI system involved
- Grad score model
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Facial recognition trialled in Australian schools to mark attendance
Five Australian schools are trialling a facial recognition system from LoopLearn to automate student attendance. The system scans students' faces and sends attendance data to an app. Privacy experts have raised concerns about data security and surveillance. The Victorian government previously tried to stop the trial due to privacy risks.
- Company involved
- Clarendon College
- AI system involved
- LoopLearn
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Cleveland State University's room scan requirement ruled unconstitutional
A federal judge ruled that Cleveland State University's requirement for a student to undergo a 360-degree room scan before an online exam was an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment. The student, enrolled at the public university, was told shortly before the exam that he would need to scan his private space. The court found that the university's justifications did not outweigh the privacy protections of the home. No final judgment or injunction has been issued yet.
- Company involved
- Cleveland State University
10 source articles · read the reporting →
UW-Madison disables Honorlock after skin tone recognition failure
The University of Wisconsin-Madison disabled the exam pause feature of its Honorlock anti-cheating software in March 2021 after three students complained that the software failed to recognize their darker skin tones and paused their exams. The software, used since online classes began, automatically pauses exams when it cannot detect facial features. Honorlock denied the issue was related to skin tone, attributing it to students looking away from their webcams. The university responded by disabling the feature.
- Company involved
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- AI system involved
- Honorlock
10 source articles · read the reporting →
CBSE introduces facial recognition system for students to access digital documents
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced a facial recognition system for Class 10 and 12 students to access their digital academic documents. A live image of the student is compared with the photograph on their CBSE admit card and, if the match succeeds, the certificate is emailed to them. The facility is available on Digi Locker for 2020 records and is expected to help foreign students and those unable to open a Digi Locker account.
- Company involved
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
- AI system involved
- Facial Recognition System
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Dartmouth Medical School charges 17 students with cheating based on tracking system.
Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine charged 17 students with cheating on remote exams during the pandemic. The charges were based on secret tracking of student activity on the learning management system. Critics say the system is prone to errors and inappropriate for monitoring students.
- Company involved
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Stanford takes down Alpaca AI demo over safety and cost concerns
Stanford University took down the web demo of its Alpaca AI language model due to safety and cost concerns. The model, based on Meta's LLaMA, was fine-tuned to follow instructions but could generate misinformation and toxic text. Researchers decided to remove the demo after it became publicly accessible, citing inadequate content filters and rising hosting costs.
- Company involved
- Stanford University
- AI system involved
- Alpaca
10 source articles · read the reporting →
New York City Department of Education blocks ChatGPT on school devices
The New York City Department of Education blocked access to the AI chatbot ChatGPT on school devices and networks, citing concerns about negative impacts on student learning and the safety and accuracy of content. The ban applies to all students and teachers on education department devices and internet networks. Individual schools can still request access for studying the technology. The move is the nation's largest school system's response to the arrival of ChatGPT.
- Company involved
- New York City Department of Education
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
9 source articles · read the reporting →
UIUC students petition to stop Proctorio exam proctoring over privacy concerns
A petition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) alleges that Proctorio, an online exam proctoring system, violates student privacy by accessing websites, downloads, screen content, and app settings. The petition claims the terms of service allow monitoring by 'any other means necessary', which students find unsettling. The petition, created on September 30, 2020, gathered 1,087 supporters but does not report any specific incident of harm. It calls on UIUC to discontinue use of Proctorio in favour of alternatives.
- Company involved
- UIUC
- AI system involved
- Proctorio
9 source articles · read the reporting →
University of Michigan halts vendor offering student data for AI training
The University of Michigan asked a vendor to stop work after a LinkedIn message offered to license student data for AI training for $25,000. The data came from past research studies and did not contain personal identifiers. The university stated that student data was never for sale and that the vendor had shared inaccurate information. The vendor was asked to halt their work.
- Company involved
- University of Michigan
5 source articles · read the reporting →
