Proctorio's AI decides you're cheating if you look away from the screen, fidget, or have dark skin in a poorly lit room. Students with ADHD get flagged for moving. Students of colour get flagged because the camera can't read their faces. A student in a shared apartment gets flagged because someone walks behind them. An algorithm enforces exam "integrity" by punishing disability, poverty, and skin colour. Proctorio records your webcam, microphone, screen, clipboard, browser history, and makes you pan your camera around your bedroom. A professor at UBC criticised their data practices. Proctorio sued him. The company that records your bedroom will also sue anyone who questions whether recording your bedroom is appropriate.
What they claim: Proctorio states it does not retain student data beyond the exam period
What we found: Proctorio requires full access to webcam, microphone, screen recording, clipboard contents, browser history, and running processes. The software performs a mandatory room scan, recording students' living spaces. A University of British Columbia professor who criticised Proctorio's data practices was sued by the company for sharing portions of their support documentation.
What they claim: Proctorio claims its AI accurately detects cheating behaviour
What we found: A 2021 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found no significant difference in cheating rates between proctored and unproctored online exams. Students reported extreme anxiety, panic attacks, and crying during proctored exams. One student urinated in a bottle rather than leave the camera view and be flagged for "leaving the testing area."
What they claim: Proctorio describes itself as "exam integrity" software that creates a fair testing environment
What we found: Proctorio's AI flags "suspicious" behaviour including looking away from the screen, having a messy room, having dark skin (causing lighting algorithm failures), and fidgeting — all of which disproportionately affect students with disabilities, people of colour, and those in small living spaces. Multiple studies found the AI flagged Black and brown students at higher rates due to facial detection bias.