Signs protesting Respondus over privacy concerns appear across campus
Photo by The Leader
The Respondus Monitor and Lockdown Browser system has gained notoriety amongst students as various flyers protesting the implementation of the exam proctoring service have been posted on university grounds. Likened to “Big Brother” by many, Respondus can store user data gathered through the biometric identification process.
Students who oppose the use of Respondus in digitally administered exams believe that the program infringes on individuals’ privacy rights. In March, a class-action lawsuit was brought against DePaul University for not disclosing Respondus data collection procedures to students, as reported by the DePaulia.
Desiree Chen, senior director of communications and external relations, noted that Respondus was introduced for EU students as a response to the unprecedented challenges imposed by remote learning. With a return to in-person instruction planned by the university for the upcoming fall, the demand for an online proctoring program could potentially subside.
“As conditions change, we’ll re-evaluate all of our pandemic-related protocols and may make some decisions then,” Chen stated.
As indicated by the recently added terms and conditions page on EU’s Blackboard site, there is no guarantee that Respondus Monitor expunges data collected by its facial detection system.
Those who prefer not utilizing the program must request and discuss an alternative with their professor(s).
While Repondus may “capture, store and/or make use of your biometric data,” the university does not retrieve information from the online monitoring program, according to the disclaimer on Blackboard. The notice assures students that any data obtained from Respondus by the university will be “permanently destroyed” within a six-month period.
Users must agree to the policy statement to access their registered courses on Blackboard. Respondus similarly prompts individuals to agree to their terms of use before beginning a proctoring session.
Last month, in a campus-wide email sent from the service desk, it was written that the added notification on Blackboard is possibly a temporary feature of the site. The university is “working on alternative solutions for the Fall Term,” and the login page may be removed.
