Judge rules UvA may use proctoring software

The proceedings were brought by the Central Student Council (CSR), UvA economics student Peter Dobson and the student council of the Faculty of Economics & Business (FEB), the faculty with the most proctoring exams.

The judge ruled that the UvA has acted in a lawful way and that the use of the software complies with all rules and principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG). According to the judge, during the corona crisis, there is a justifiable need for the university to use proctoring to administer exams, and that doing so is not an unlawful invasion of privacy.

Looking for compromise

CSR chairman Pjotr van der Jagt said he is ‘a bit surprised’ and would like to read the verdict carefully to ‘see what the council can still do’. ‘We wanted clarity about the legality of the invasion of student privacy,’ he says. ‘This lawsuit has taken care of that.’ The council still wants to discuss the plan with the Executive Board for future proctoring exams. ‘We are looking in to whether we can find a compromise. We want students to feel comfortable.’

Proctoring software surveys students via a computer’s webcam and microphone while they sit the exam to prevent fraud. Proctorio, the software used by the UvA, can detect open books, people in the room and keystrokes