US schools spy on students by installing tracking apps on their phones Simon Ferguson Follow Mar 3 · 3 min read

The University of Missouri released a new policy that allows tracking students’ locations to keep an eye on their attendance. From now on, all new students must install a location-tracking app on their phones. Will this new system bring positive change and improve students’ participation? Or, considering it’s an age where concerns for privacy are at an all-time high, should this system be seen as invasive?

SpotterEDU — the new location-tracking app

The new attendance tracking system is called SpotterEDU. This platform contains class schedules and checks if students attend them. Rick Carter, the founder of SpotterEDU, says this solution was first geared towards athletes. Most of them receive scholarships, so attendance is mandatory. Yet, starting from the new semester in 2020, the new system is being tested on all freshmen. The students won’t be able to choose whether to participate or not. Currently, nearly 40 schools in the US are testing the SpotterEDU app.

The school’s administration claims the new system was established “for their own good.” And, as they believe, better attendance will have a positive impact on the grades. Although this may seem reasonable, cybersecurity experts are worried the system is too privacy-invasive. Their main concern is that SpotterEDU may continue tracking students after school hours. Such is the case in some Chinese schools. There, students wear intelligent uniforms which track the pupils whereabouts all the time. However, Rick Carter clarified that the SpotterEDU app works in the classrooms only. It uses Apple’s iBeacons system to broadcast Bluetooth signals that determine whether a student is present. However, for schools that wish to put their students under heavier surveillance, there is an option available.

A similar software collects even more data

SpotterEdu isn’t the first student location-tracking app in the industry. Another startup — Degree Analytics, founded by Aaron Benz, offers a similar location-tracking service. Instead of Bluetooth, Degree Analytics uses WiFi signals to check students’ location. The software tracks students throughout the whole campus, not only in classes. Nineteen schools in the US already use this Degree Analytics.

Benz explains that the application logs the time students spend in each campus area. According to him, his team has found a way to identify previously hidden emotional issues a student might be facing. If the student only leaves his dorm to go to classes and to buy food, the software puts the student into a “highly at-risk” group. Then, the school administration receives an alert in case they want to pursue real-world intervention. Technical experts say the algorithm has many variables unaccounted for. So far, the software did not prove the ability to detect distressed students.

Students and professors have mixed feelings about geolocation tracking

Only a few of many students are okay with the fact that the school monitors them. Some athletes believe that it is fine to use technology for convenience purposes. They agree it’s hard for professors to track each student. Other students take an opposing view. “We’re adults. Do we really need to be tracked?” commented Robby Pfeifer, a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University. Even some professors agree that tracking applications breach students’ privacy. They also believe that surveillance halts students’ growth into adults. Such methods reduce the pupils’ ability to think independently. Other experts are conspicuous about the fact that this is done for students’ sake.

Are schools tracking students for their own benefit?

Universities and colleges state that they keep an eye on students for their own good. Kyle M. L. Jones, student privacy researcher, does not trust these claims. According to him, schools track students because it serves their interests. They can share how the class attendance numbers improved to better their reputation. Can you do anything to fight the increasing surveillance?

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