When colleges and universities switched from in-person learning to online education, the demand from teachers and school administrators for anti-cheating software skyrocketed. Educators were concerned about students' access to test answers via programs and websites that would facilitate academic misconduct. To preserve academic integrity, software like Honorlock and other online proctoring and student monitoring tools gained widespread usage, but some experts now worry that students are being led into a trap.

A recent report from The Markup details how anti-cheating software may be considered "honeypot" operations that constitute "educational entrapment."

How Does Anti-Cheating Software Work?

It allows educators to create online exams and choose the test parameters. The students taking the exam must abide by the test rules or risk failing the assignment or obtaining an academic misconduct charge.

Several Features Frequently Used:

• Facial ID verification
• Audio and video monitoring
• Browser lockdown software
• Secondary device detection

While these features ensure students don't cheat, some software goes far beyond monitoring and works to entrap students by utilizing its connections with third-party sites that collect user information. At one point, Honorlock is said to have retained at least 12 "seed sites" that collected user information, some of which are still active.

Sites Still in Use:

• wikicram.com
• quizlookup.com
• buzzfolder.com
• examequip.com
• gradepack.com

How Do These Sites Work?

These sites offer answers to a vast range of exam questions. When students visit them, they are introduced to an innocent-looking home page that details online test-taking tips. When the "Blog" heading is clicked, a series of specific questions are listed. The user is then prompted with buttons that say "SHOW ANSWER" and "HIDE ANSWER." The answer isn't shown when clicked, and a short digital tone plays. While students may be irritated that their effort was for nothing, they were actually victims of a spying tool.

Reportedly, once the button has been clicked, the user's IP address is collected to serve as "proof" the user was cheating. Moreover, Honorlock can view a user's mouse movements via seed sites, what was typed into the search bar, and what was clicked on the site.

A recent study conducted by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) shows that 81 percent of teachers say their school uses some form of student monitoring software. Among its usage on both school-issued and personal devices, over 30 percent state that the software is used even outside school hours, despite a lack of evidence showing the effectiveness of anti-cheating software.

Online proctoring and student monitoring software has given rise to heated debates over ethics and privacy concerns at schools across the country, leading students to become aware of the fact that it's now automatically assumed they will engage in some form of cheating when they're online. If you're the parent of a student worried about their online privacy, connect with an expert advisor to be your advocate and ally by calling attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686.