Automated test-taking monitor records your every move

18 Jul 2015 • engadget.com

The service in question, Proctortrack records video of students taking exams and uses algorithms to determine their identities and flags portions of a video if it detects suspicious behavior. According to the company’s best practices, that behavior includes: looking away from the webcam, changing the lighting, dropping a pencil, and talking to someone out of frame.

I never cheated on tests in school but I’ve always had kind of a weird respect for those that do and get away with it - and I don’t think it should be rendered impossible. Kind of like my views on speeding. It’s fun to drive fast and not get caught. I do think there is some skill in it (probably lot of luck too). Paying close attention every day certainly helps. One can speed carefully or recklessly. Carefully doesn’t guarantee you don’t get caught, but it certainly helps.

But sometimes you get caught and then there are consequences. And it sucks - whether it’s just a fine, traffic school, lawyers fees, etc. But that’s part of it. But I hate speeding cameras. If I’m going to get a ticket it should be from a human officer doing their job not a stupid computer watching every single car go by until one of them goes by too quickly. There is some sense of balance and fairness in human enforcement. I have a chance to speed, they have a chance to catch me.

I have a feeling there are hidden disadvantages to any system that tries to enforce absolute adherence to arbitrary rules with zero effort. False positives, just to name one in this particular case. Just because I drop my pencil doesn’t mean I’m cheating. Just because I drop my pencil AND whisper to and friend doesn’t mean I’m cheering either, etc.

Rules have exceptions and exceptions have rules. Maybe my feelings on this stem from being a rebel (rule breaker) at heart, but I think if we lived in a world where this type of computer policing is taken to its logical conclusion we’d either be living in a utopia or a hellscape.

My vote is on hellscape.