Respondus "Safe" Exam Browser
Respondus Lockdown Safe Exam Browser is advertised as a proctor tool - however, there are a few concerns regarding how it handles privacy and safety.
Regarding privacy, Safe Exam Browser does not provide a clear outline for students as to what the program is allowed to see on their device - nor does it provide students with the ability to restrict the program to what it is allowed to do on their device. (regardless of proctor's settings)
Another issue regarding privacy is it [Safe Exam Browser] does not allow students to revoke the program's ability to access or record their camera or microphone during testing - there is no ability on the student's side to prevent proctors from abusing certain features of Safe Exam Browser.
Then there are issues regarding security on student owned devices - while the application is advertised as a proctor tool, the features advertised can classify it as malware as it is capable of taking control of student devices without their consent.
The application is also capable of restricting access to other applications and/or features of a device without user consent - without providing students with a means of prevention or setting restrictions.
Upon installing Safe Exam Browser, there was no End User License Agreement (EULA) - nor was there any warning or notice, informing students that proctors will have remote-access to your device and may have administrative control over it using certain features.
Safe Exam Browser does not provide a way to automatically uninstall the software.
If a developer of SEB sees this, here's a few questions that need to be answered:
1. What level of administrative control do proctors have over students' devices while testing?
2. Are students' connections to Safe Exam Browser encrypted?
3. Is there a clear way for students to revoke or restrict Safe Exam Browser's level of access on their personal devices?
4. Is there a clear way for students to prevent proctors' from abusing certain features of Safe Exam Browser?
5. Can Safe Exam Browser access student cameras or microphones outside of testing?