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 →
ExamSoft failure during Michigan Bar Exam
On July 28, 2020, ExamSoft's software platform failed during the Michigan Bar Exam, preventing some test takers from completing the exam. ExamSoft posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) with the hashtag #MichiganBarExam, but critics noted the company deleted and reposted the statement multiple times, allegedly to hide negative comments. The incident affected a group of examinees and caused disruption to their ability to take the exam.
- Company involved
- ExamSoft
- AI system involved
- ExamSoft platform
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 →
Clearview AI tested facial recognition surveillance cameras with UFT and Rudin
Clearview AI, the facial recognition company that scraped billions of photos from social media, developed a surveillance camera system under the name Insight Camera. The system was tested by the United Federation of Teachers and Rudin Management in New York City. The UFT used it to identify individuals who had made threats and prevent them from entering its offices. Clearview did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Clearview AI
- AI system involved
- Insight Camera
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Teleperformance plans AI webcam surveillance for home-working staff
Teleperformance, a global call centre company, told some staff it would install AI-powered webcams to monitor home-working infractions such as eating, phone use, or leaving desks. The system would randomly scan for breaches and send alerts to managers. After the Guardian inquired, the company said the remote scans would not be used in the UK, but the plan raised concerns from unions and MPs about invasive surveillance.
- Company involved
- Teleperformance
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Judge rules police search using Flock was mass surveillance
A judge ruled that a police search using Flock's automated license plate readers constituted a form of mass surveillance. The ruling concerns the deployment of the AI-based camera system by law enforcement, which the court found to be an invasive surveillance practice. No further details of the case were provided in the article.
- AI system involved
- Flock
4 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 →
California bar exam facial recognition system fails to verify Arab-American student's identity
Ahmed Alamri, an Arab-American law student, was unable to register for the practice California bar exam because ExamSoft's facial recognition system repeatedly failed to recognize his face, citing poor lighting. Alamri attempted to verify his identity over 75 times in different rooms and lighting conditions without success. He and other students filed an emergency petition with the California Supreme Court, alleging that the system discriminates against people of color. The incident highlights concerns about bias in facial recognition technology used for exam proctoring.
- Company involved
- California State Bar
- AI system involved
- ExamSoft
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 →
Retorio AI personality test swayed by candidate appearance in BR experiment
Bayerischer Rundfunk journalists conducted experiments with Retorio's AI video interview analysis tool. The AI, which assesses personality traits from short videos, produced different scores when the same actress changed her appearance (glasses, headscarf, wig) or the video background and lighting were altered. The start-up Retorio acknowledged that the AI considers external image, similar to a human interviewer. Experts warned that such software could perpetuate stereotypes and unfairly affect job candidates.
- AI system involved
- Retorio AI
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 →
Huawei and Megvii tested Uyghur alarm facial recognition system
Huawei and Megvii conducted an interoperability test in 2018 that verified a 'Uyghur alarm' function in Megvii's facial recognition system, according to a confidential report found by IPVM. The system could identify Uyghur minorities and alert police. Huawei denied real-world application and deleted the report after IPVM inquired. Megvii denied targeting ethnic groups. The test report was publicly accessible on Huawei's European website.
- Company involved
- Huawei
- AI system involved
- Megvii Dynamic Face Recognition
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI emotion-detection software tested on Uyghurs in Xinjiang
A software engineer alleged that AI-based emotion-detection cameras were installed in police stations in Xinjiang and tested on Uyghur detainees. The system, placed three metres from subjects, analysed facial expressions and skin pores to create a pie chart indicating emotional state, with red suggesting anxiety, which was used as an indication of guilt. The engineer claimed the software was intended for 'pre-judgement without any credible evidence'. Human Rights Watch described the material as shocking, and the Chinese embassy denied the existence of such technology.
- Company involved
- Chinese government
- AI system involved
- Emotion detection camera
10 source articles · read the reporting →
PwC develops facial recognition tool to monitor employees working from home
Accounting giant PwC has developed a facial recognition tool that logs when employees are absent from their computer screens while working from home. The tool, intended for financial institutions, requires workers to provide written reasons for any absences, including toilet breaks. Commentators have criticised the tool as a huge invasion of privacy, with concerns about damage to trust and increased stress. PwC stated that the technology is designed to help regulated institutions meet compliance obligations and that voluntary consent of traders is essential.
- Company involved
- PwC
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Deep-Live-Cam enables real-time face swapping, raising fraud concerns
A software package called Deep-Live-Cam has gone viral for enabling real-time face swapping on webcams using a single photo. The tool, which is free and open source, allows anyone to impersonate another person's appearance in a video chat, raising concerns about remote deception and fraud. The article notes that similar technology has been used in a $25 million heist in Hong Kong and in audio deepfake scams.
- AI system involved
- Deep-Live-Cam
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Meta tracks employee keystrokes on Google, LinkedIn, Wikipedia for AI training
Meta is using an internal tool, Model Capability Initiative (MCI), to capture employees' keystrokes, mouse movements and screen contents on work computers, including on sites such as Google, LinkedIn, Wikipedia and Slack, to train AI agents. Meta confirmed the project and said safeguards protect sensitive content and that the data is not used for other purposes. Employees raised concerns in internal messages that the tool could expose passwords, product details and personal information. A Meta memo said staff can avoid capture by not doing personal work on work computers.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- Model Capability Initiative (MCI)
5 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 →
iBorderCtrl lie detector falsely flagged honest reporter as liar
A journalist testing Europe's iBorderCtrl virtual policeman at the Serbian-Hungarian border gave honest answers but was deemed a liar by the system, scoring 48 out of 100 with four false answers flagged. The Hungarian policeman said the result suggested further checks, though none were carried out. The reporter only learned of the result after filing a data access request under European privacy laws. Experts and transparency activists have criticised the technology as pseudoscientific and potentially discriminatory.
- Company involved
- iBorderCtrl consortium
- AI system involved
- Silent Talker / iBorderCtrl virtual policeman
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI detectors falsely flag non-native English speakers' essays as AI-generated
A study by Stanford researchers found that seven popular AI text detectors wrongly flagged over half of essays written by non-native English speakers as AI-generated. The detectors assess text perplexity, and non-native speakers' simpler word choices lead to false positives. The researchers warn that this bias could have serious implications for students and job applicants, potentially leading to discrimination.
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Evolv weapon detection system falsely flags Chromebooks as weapons
Evolv's AI-based weapon detection system has been reported to falsely identify certain Chromebook laptops as weapons, causing false alarms at security checkpoints. The system is used in venues such as schools. The article discusses the flaw and user experiences. No official response from Evolv has been mentioned.
- Company involved
- Evolv
- AI system involved
- Evolv
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Baltimore schools monitor student laptops for suicide signs using GoGuardian Beacon
Baltimore City Public Schools uses GoGuardian Beacon software to monitor student laptops for signs of suicide. Since March 2021, the system has flagged 786 alerts, with nine students taken to emergency rooms. Privacy advocates warn the monitoring could lead to disciplinary actions, outing of LGBTQ students, and disproportionately affect disadvantaged students. School officials defend the practice as a safeguard.
- Company involved
- Baltimore City Public Schools
- AI system involved
- GoGuardian Beacon
10 source articles · read the reporting →
