--- title: Exam software is booming, but is it ethical? - The Hustle description: AI-powered exam software is helping educators curb cheating, but comes with its share of controversy. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1151805357-News-Brief_2022-02-21T064021.743Z.webp --- # Exam software is booming, but is it ethical? ![Rob Litterst](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rob-Litterst-pic.png?width=48&height=48&name=Rob-Litterst-pic.png) [Rob Litterst](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst) [Rob Litterst Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/robbylit) Published: February 21, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 College kids have been cheating on exams since the beginning of time. ![Exam software is booming, but is it ethical?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1151805357-News-Brief_2022-02-21T064021.743Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1151805357-News-Brief_2022-02-21T064021.743Z.webp) But remote learning has created a new challenge for educators: How do you keep a student from cheating when they’re taking the test from their bedroom? Luckily for academic institutions, this challenge has led to a [burgeoning new industry](https://themarkup.org/machine-learning/2022/02/15/a-network-of-fake-test-answer-sites-is-trying-to-incriminate-students) — remote exam proctoring software, per *The Markup*. #### **The key player in the space…** … is Honorlock, which [grew revenue](https://news.crunchbase.com/news/exclusive-honorlock-raises-25m-for-online-exam-proctoring/) 1k% YoY between 2020 and 2021, leading to a $25m fundraise last year. At the time of the raise, Honorlock counted 300+ institutions as customers and 1m+ students using its software. #### **How does remote proctoring work?** As you can imagine, it’s not as simple as asking your class to clear the formulas in their TI-83. Honorlock’s software uses AI to: - **Scan** students’ faces to make sure they’re the ones actually taking the tests - **Detect** the use of [cellphones](https://honorlock.com/exclusive/#section-content-2) and other devices during the exam window - **Track** activity on fake websites that provide answers to test questions In other words, it’s all about student surveillance — and the last bullet has landed Honorlock in hot water. These fake websites, which the company calls “honeypots,” exist solely to catch students cheating. Critics say it’s a classic case of entrapment and argue that the software creates an environment that assumes students cheat — which could backfire by normalizing cheating. #### **So what’s the answer?** One possible solution is switching to different testing methods. Sarah Eaton, an associate professor at University of Calgary who studies academic integrity, suggests oral and open book tests that require answers you can’t find on Google. Until then, we encourage any test-takers out there to study up, lest you end up caught in a honeypot. Topics: [SaaS](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/saas) Topics: [Education](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/education) [Saas](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/saas) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Student loan repayments are back and more confusing than ever](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1645811006-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-StudentLoans_20230831230545.webp) ### Student loan repayments are back and more confusing than ever - ![Looking for an edge in attracting talent? Give ’em a reasonable place to live](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1955417428-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-housing_20230816223900.webp) ### Looking for an edge in attracting talent? Give ’em a reasonable place to live - ![Academia drama involves lying about… lying](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/834884206-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-data-files_20230801221130.webp) ### Academia drama involves lying about… lying - ![Investors worry Chegg could be schooled by ChatGPT’s A+ homework help](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/478804961-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMay205202023Chegg.webp) ### Investors worry Chegg could be schooled by ChatGPT’s A+ homework help - ![Degrees of separation: As college enrollment drops, trade school sign-ups rise](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/869946443-19-News-Brief_2023-04-24T001028.648Z.webp) ### Degrees of separation: As college enrollment drops, trade school sign-ups rise - ![It’s a pretty great time to get a PhD in AI](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1800076214-19-News-Brief_2023-04-16T234042.716Z.webp) ### It’s a pretty great time to get a PhD in AI - ![Higher education meets high finance](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1520721760-HS-News-Brief_2022-07-21T231834.548Z.webp) ### Higher education meets high finance - ![The student loan forgiveness hearing, explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/436575476-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-01T014833.522Z.webp) ### The student loan forgiveness hearing, explained - ![Would ChatGPT get a Wharton MBA?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1417838308-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-25T003354.977Z.webp) ### Would ChatGPT get a Wharton MBA? - ![Maybe you shouldn’t get that master’s degree in this economy](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/322771577-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-04T024415.710Z.webp) ### Maybe you shouldn’t get that master’s degree in this economy Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t. JOIN FREE ### 100% Free CRM Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Signup for a free account Close modal ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rob Litterst", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/rob-litterst" }, "datePublished" : "2022-02-21T14:42:50.000Z", "headline" : "Exam software is booming, but is it ethical?", "image" : [ "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1151805357-News-Brief_2022-02-21T064021.743Z.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/02222022-exam-software", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" } } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "#article", "@type" : "NewsArticle", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rob Litterst", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst" }, "dateModified" : "2023-10-11T20:16:13+0000", "datePublished" : "2022-02-21T14:42:50+0000", "headline" : "Exam software is booming, but is it ethical?", "image" : [ "https://7355427.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7355427/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1151805357-News-Brief_2022-02-21T064021.743Z.webp" ], "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 112, "url" : "https://fs.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/Blog%202021/Images/Logos/HubSpot%20Logo%20112X112.svg", "width" : 112 }, "name" : "HubSpot", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/hubspot", "https://twitter.com/hubspot" ], "url" : "https://www.hubspot.com" }, "speakable" : { "@type" : "SpeakableSpecification", "xPath" : [ "//title", "/html/head/meta[@name='description']/@content" ] } } ```