Comparing Face Detection to Face Recognition

As face detection and facial recognition software become increasingly dynamic, people are understandably concerned about their privacy, and those taking online proctored exams have reported various negative experiences.

There are key differences between face detection and face recognition, and it’s important to be able to distinguish between the two, as both are used to varying degrees by online proctoring service providers.

For example, some online proctoring services use face detection while others use “continuous facial recognition” throughout the entire exam, which may be invasive and pose privacy and data issues.”

Comparing face detection and face recognition

Face recognition vs face detection comparison chart of differences

What is face detection?

Face detection uses AI technology that can determine when human faces appear in images. It uses algorithms to analyze and to separate faces from all the other features that may be present in an image—the baseline goal is to distinguish your face from a stop sign, for example, or from the adorable mug with your dog’s face on it.

Broader than face recognition

Face detection as a concept includes face recognition in some instances. If a system can isolate a face from the rest of an image, then it qualifies as “face detection.” But facial recognition is more specific and is just one of a range of capabilities under the rubric of face detection. Facial recognition uses biometric technology not just to recognize when a human face is present, but also to determine the identity of the person.

How face detection works

Our eyes, standing out as they do, are the first objects that face detection algorithms usually search for. The algorithm will then seek other features of our faces, and when it finds them it compares what it thinks is a face to large databases that definitely contain faces—as well as non-face images to make sure the algorithm is working properly.

The AI is essentially “trained” to identify whether images and videos contain faces or not. This training uses a seemingly endless number of images and video – some containing faces while others don’t – to help ensure ongoing improvements and overall accuracy.

What is face recognition?

Face recognition is one of the most significant applications of face detection. It’s able to capture someone’s image and know exactly who that person is. The technology isn’t 100% perfected yet, but if your image is already in a database, there’s a good chance that the owner of the database will be able to identify you.

What are the differences between how they work?

The steps below highlight the differences between how face detection and face recognition work. You’ll notice that face recognition goes beyond simply identifying that a face is present.

Face detection

Steps of how face detection works

How is face detection used in online proctoring?

If you are concerned about the implications of facial recognition technology when it comes to proctoring online exams, we at Honorlock understand. 

Honorlock does not use face recognition

We use face detection, which only detects that there is a clear human face in the webcam.

We do NOT identify any individual face, store facial elements, or match the face to a database. If no face is detected, however, or if multiple faces are detected, AI will flag the incident and a human proctor may intervene.

Safe for everyone involved

We take data privacy seriously. All data is secured. Data in transit and data at rest is encrypted and stored on the cloud in an Amazon (AWS) data center.  Amazon’s data centers are SOC 3 certified, U.S. Privacy Shield, and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant.

Facial detection is just one of the many online proctoring features that Honorlock uses to make sure test takers have a positive and secure remote testing experience. When you compare online proctoring services, be sure to check whether face detection is being used, rather than the more problematic face recognition. 

Speak with our online proctoring experts to see how Honorlock works. 

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Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

Debunking Myths About Data Security & Privacy With Honorlock

Here’s a quick look at how Honorlock protects student privacy and secures data:

  • We don’t sell or share student data
  • Our proctoring software doesn’t have access to cell phones
  • Students aren’t watched the entire time
  • We don’t use face recognition
  • We don’t have access to the student’s network
  • Honorlock is hosted in the cloud through Amazon Web Services
  • We don’t have access to the webcam or microphone after the exam ends
  • No extra accounts or passwords are needed
  • Students can easily delete Honorlock after the proctored exam is over
  • Your institution owns the data, not Honorlock
  • Honorlock is compliant with data privacy standards like FERPA
  • Our test proctors are trained to follow data privacy compliance standards
  • We only gather student data required to proctor the exam

Data security and student privacy in higher education are especially important topics with the growth of online learning and remote testing.

Students and academic institutions have expectations about how their privacy is protected – and for good reason. In fact, a 2020 study by EDUCAUSE1 found that Privacy was the 2nd most important factor related to IT for higher education leaders. 

To provide transparency around how Honorlock protects student privacy and secures data, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of important information to help answer any questions from students, faculty, and institutions. 

We want you to know that we take data security and privacy seriously and we’re committed to providing a testing environment that’s secure and non-intrusive – one that supports and empowers students and faculty while protecting academic integrity.

Honorlock data security and student privacy

Honorlock doesn’t sell student data

Pretty simple: we don’t sell or monetize student data.

Our online proctoring software doesn’t have access to cell phones

A 2021 Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse study2 found that 58% of students are somewhat concerned about how apps on their cell phones handle their data. 

Honorlock doesn’t have access to cell phones or secondary devices — not before, during, or after the proctored exam.

We don’t use any online proctoring software or technology to access cell phones or secondary devices used during the proctored exam session.

Can Honorlock detect phone use?

Our online proctoring solution can detect when phones and other devices are being used to search for test bank content during an exam. We gather information based on the websites visited – not via the phone. If the student isn’t using their phone to access test answers on homework help sites, they should have no concerns.

Honorlock doesn’t watch students the entire time

Let’s face it, having a live proctor’s face on the screen watching the student during the entire exam is distracting (and creepy). 

With Honorlock, a live proctor only intervenes if the test proctoring software detects potential dishonesty. When the proctor is alerted, they can review the behavior and enter the exam session via chat to help the student get back on track. All of this makes for a much less invasive testing experience.

Our proctors are trained to support students and reduce exam anxiety

We want interactions between students and remote proctors to be a positive experience that helps students – not a distraction that adds more stress. Our full-time online proctoring team was trained by a nationally certified counselor and educator on supporting students during moments of exam anxiety. When our proctors intervene, the goal is to help support students successfully complete their exams, not to catch cheating.

Adding to this, Honorlock conducted a student survey with the University of North Alabama to learn more about the causes of student exam anxiety and how our approach to online proctoring can help reduce anxiety.

We found that Honorlock helped reduce exam anxiety and that students who interacted with one of our remote proctors indicated that the proctor helped reduce their exam anxiety. 

“The proctor popping in was different than I expected – in a positive way. I imagined them being more strict. I felt that the proctor was helpful and a lot less intimidating than I thought.” – Student quote in a post-exam interview

We don’t use face recognition

Honorlock doesn’t use face recognition. Our proctoring software uses face detection. 

There are significant differences between the two.

What’s the difference between face detection and face recognition?

  • Face detection means detecting that a face is present on the video or image.
  • Face recognition goes way beyond facial detection. 
  • It uses biometric technology that recognizes when a human face is present AND attempts to establish whose face it is.  

Honorlock’s face detection only detects a clear human face in the webcam. 

Honorlock’s facial detection technology does not: 

  • Use biometrics
  • Identify and match the face to any database
  • Store facial elements

We don’t have access to the student’s home network

The online proctoring software doesn’t have access to network communications which means we don’t have access to your local or home network.

We only monitor the quality of the student’s internet connection. This is to ensure its quality and to document the network connection stability during the proctored exam to troubleshoot situations when the test-takers internet connection is unstable.

Honorlock is hosted in the cloud through Amazon Web Services

Cloud hosting with AWS provides comprehensive data security capabilities for Honorlock. Stored data is encrypted and secured using industry standards with AES-256 block encryption. 

We don’t have access to the webcam or microphone after the exam

Once a student completes the online proctored exam, our access to the screen and webcam ends.

No extra accounts or passwords are needed

Thanks to our direct LMS integration, Honorlock doesn’t require an extra account or password.

This LMS integration with Honorlock means that data is exchanged securely between the proctoring software and your LMS only. 

Students can delete and remove Honorlock after the proctored exam is over

It only takes a few seconds to delete Honorlock’s Chrome extension. Students can navigate to the extension in the Chrome toolbar and remove it.

As an AWS partner, Honorlock follows federal NIST 800-88 guidelines for proof of data/drive destruction. 

We don’t own school data

Honorlock doesn’t own the data; we only hold the data for the institution.

Honorlock has defined data retention periods of 12 months, after which all student-related data is automatically purged unless the school requests an extension of a particular student’s data related to an Academic Integrity case. Upon request from the school, they can extend the data retention of a student’s data up to an additional 12 months.

It’s just as easy to install for the next exam; students can add the extension in about 30 seconds.

Committed to maintaining compliance with state and federal data privacy laws and regulations

FERPA compliance

Certain student information and records are covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Institutions protect the information and records in accordance with FERPA privacy rights and other applicable laws. Honorlock is prohibited from using student data in any way except to carry out online exam proctoring services. The information transmitted belongs to each school.

Our test proctors are trained to follow data privacy compliance standards

Certain student information and records are covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Institutions protect the information and records in accordance with FERPA privacy rights and other applicable laws. Honorlock is prohibited from using student data in any way except to carry out online exam proctoring services. The information transmitted belongs to each school.

We only collect student data required to proctor exams

We only collect student data required to proctor the online exam and most of it is already available in the LMS. This information is used to verify identity and protect integrity. 

Here’s the student data we collect:

  • IP address through the Chrome extension
  • Name and email address from the LMS
  • During the test, we capture a screen recording and a webcam recording
  • A photo of the student and student ID if ID verification is enabled by the instructor or institution

Watch this one minute video that covers how Honorlock protects student privacy.

What is Honorlock?

We make online proctoring simple, secure, and human. Our online proctoring services combine the benefits of AI test monitoring software with those of live remote proctors. 

This human-centric approach to online proctoring helps bring integrity, humanity, confidence, and positive outcomes to online testing.

Our purpose is to create a better testing experience that supports and empowers faculty and students – not simply to prevent cheating. When you create a fair and equitable test environment that builds confidence and protects academic integrity, everyone wins.

How does Honorlock work?

Our proctoring software monitors each student’s exam session and alerts a live, remote proctor if it detects any potential problems. 

This provides the remote proctor with the opportunity to intervene and help the student get back on track. 

Our remote proctoring services are convenient and easy to use for instructors and students. Instructors can quickly create proctored exams in the LMS like they already do, choose the proctoring features, and then review actionable exam reports. And it’s just as simple for students – they simply log into the LMS, verify their identity, and begin the exam like they’re accustomed to.

In addition, our proctoring services protect exams in a variety of ways such as:

  • Detecting cell phone use
  • Reducing the number of test questions and answers available on unauthorized homework help sites
  • Detecting voices and other sounds
  • Using video proctoring for identity verification, room scanning, and monitoring behavior

Other benefits of Honorlock remote proctoring:

  • 24/7 support is available to students and faculty
  • Students can take the proctored exams anytime they’re ready – 24/7/365 
  • The direct LMS integration means faculty and students will use a platform they’re already familiar with
  • Exam results are quickly available within the LMS

Want to see Honorlock in action? Schedule a demo.

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1Susan Grajek and the 2019–2020 EDUCAUSE IT Issues Panel, “Top 10 IT Issues, 2020: The Drive to Digital Transformation Begins,” EDUCAUSE Review Special Report, January 27, 2020.

2How to protect student data privacy in college, Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse, September 14, 2021.

Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

How Does Honorlock Protect Student Privacy?

Are midterm or final exams on the way in your online courses? Is your university or college normally on campus, but has migrated to distance learning due to the global health crisis? If the answer is yes to either of these questions, your students are likely to bring up concerns about their privacy when taking remotely proctored exams. We clarified many of these student privacy concerns about the privacy of students in a previous blog addressed to students, but are revisiting and extending our responses here for school administrators who may currently be researching online proctoring services for their institutions. 

Here are common questions about student privacy and our answers:

1. Is Honorlock FERPA Compliant?

Yes. Certain student information and records are covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Institutions protect the information and records in accordance with FERPA privacy rights and other applicable laws. Honorlock is prohibited from using student data in any way except to carry out online exam proctoring services. The information transmitted belongs to each school.

2. Does Honorlock Sell Student Information to Third Parties?

No. Honorlock will never sell or monetize student data. 

3. Does Honorlock require that students provide a picture of a photo ID to verify their identity? Is this information saved/stored?

Honorlock does not require that students provide a photo ID, however, most academic institutions choose to enable this feature. Honorlock encourages the primary use of a University/College ID and that is what schools usually recommend. However, any photo ID that has an image of the test-taker and their name on it will work for the purposes of confirming and documenting that the student that is supposed to take the online proctored exam is the student that actually does so. Your information is protected in accordance with FERPA privacy rights and other applicable laws. Honorlock is prohibited from using student data in any way except to carry out online exam proctoring services. The information transmitted belongs to each school.

4. Does Honorlock monitor the test taker’s network and secondary devices?

Honorlock does not employ any technologies to allow the detection of secondary devices connected to a student’s local/home network used during the online test proctoring session. No agents or applications are downloaded to these secondary devices to initiate any type of surveillance activities. Other users connected to the local/home network during a student’s Honorlock online exam can process personal or confidential information at the same time without fear of the student’s Honorlock session monitoring or eavesdropping on secondary device activities. In addition, our software is not capable of intercepting local/home network communications from devices connected during the student’s session.

We do monitor the quality of the internet connection of the specific test-taking device to ensure its quality and to document the network connection stability during the proctored test, so as to be able to troubleshoot situations in which the test-takers internet connection becomes unstable.

5. What data is tracked/recorded from the web browser extension and how is it handled?

Our Chrome Web browser extension allows Honorlock to interact with the student and the exam content during proctored exams for online courses. This includes launching the webcam window and interacting with student behavior within the exam. During the proctored online exam, the following data is captured, analyzed, and stored:

  • Webcam video, including audio
  • Recording of desktop activity
  • Student information presented by the learning management system, such as student name, course number, exam name, etc.
  • Pages visited during the examination session
  • Specific student behavior that may indicate academic dishonesty, such as copy/paste into search engines

6. Who has access to student data?

Only appropriate school personnel have access to student data. Key staff within Honorlock will have access, if needed, in order to provide quality control and support for your instructors. Our employees are likewise bound to FERPA and privacy requirements.

7. Where does Honorlock store student data?

Honorlock uses an encrypted and secured connection during each online proctored exam. All videos and photos are stored on Honorlock’s proctored testing platform. All data, including photos and video, is stored in an encrypted format on isolated storage systems within Honorlock’s private cloud in Amazon’s AWS U.S. data centers. They are SOC 2 Type 1 and GDPR compliant. Your school owns the data.

8. Who monitors the test, artificial intelligence (AI) or live proctors? Who reviews the flags?

Honorlock’s AI monitors the test-taking. The AI automatically generates a flag if unusual activity is detected, such as another person entering the room. If unusual activity is detected, a live proctor is notified and will pop-in via chatbox. Once an online exam session is completed, instructors are able to review flagged recordings to determine if there was a possible academic integrity violation. Instructors make the final assessment as to whether a transgression has taken place.

Honorlock was created by students who wanted other students to be able to have the most convenient, least intrusive remote exam proctoring experience.

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Alice Cifuentes

Alice has several years of marketing experience within healthcare and most recently in higher education focused on social media growth, tradeshow management, and communication. She is passionate about creatively navigating new challenges and discovering innovative ways to connect with educators.

Is a VPAT Enough? How to Reduce Accessibility Barriers for Students, Faculty and Staff

If you or your institution want to know whether a product such as online exam proctoring software is accessible for those with disabilities, either before or after you’ve settled on a purchase, you’ll be likely to be reviewing a VPAT.

The question will arise, “Who should be reviewing a VPAT?” Note that reviewing and evaluating accessibility documentation requires familiarity with accessibility standards and barriers. The expectation that this responsibility belongs solely to procurement staff, or to the faculty, or to the disability services office may lead to greater institutional problems.

What is a VPAT?

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document from a Washington-based policy group that provides a standardized reporting format for product accessibility conformance. The document format undergoes small modifications based on feedback from industry partners.

When the VPAT is used to report accessibility conformance of a product, the completed document is known as the Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). The term ACR is more correct and represents the completed document. However, the term VPAT is commonly used to represent an ACR.

Just Compliance?

An institution of higher education may review products for conformance with accessibility standards, such as the Revised 508 Standards, as part of its obligation to ensure accessibility of information and communication technology, also known as ICT.  Two crucial steps towards ensuring accessibility compliance include:

  • Working with vendors to remove accessibility barriers identified in products, and
  • Developing plans to “Provide individuals with disabilities access to and use of information and data by alternate means that meets identified needs” (E202.7.2 Alternative Means, Revised 508 Standards).

Keep in mind, developing alternate access plans is about removing barriers that could otherwise cause delays for students, faculty, and staff with disabilities, as well as compliance. You can see how important these plans are when it comes to remote exam proctoring solutions. The last thing you want is to create obstacles or delays at exam time.

What is an Alternate Access Plan?

An Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan (EEAAP) describes what an institution will do when an ICT product does not meet its minimum accessibility standards. An EEAAP identifies how access to the product will be provided when a person with a disability were to use it by answering the following questions:

  • What is the access barrier?
  • Who is affected by the access barrier?
  • Who is responsible for the plan?
  • How will equal access be provided?
  • What resources are necessary to provide equal access?
  • When will the vendor remove the access barriers?

It is important to note that EEAAPs are general plans. Any qualified individual with a disability still has the same rights to request individualized accommodations through the institution’s reasonable accommodation process beyond what the EEAAP proposes. 

Consider a product with videos that are not captioned. The EEAAP may include a stipulation for using institutional resources to caption the current set of videos while the vendor builds in captioned videos to the next product update. This provision does not mean that an individual might not still request ASL interpreting when using the product.

College of the Desert’s EEAAP (opens PDF) and San Francisco State University’s EEAAP (opens PDF) are just two helpful examples of EEAAPs in use at colleges and universities around the country.

Accessibility Reviews

There are several options for accessibility reviews. The type of review for evaluating accessibility used by an institution may depend on the availability of information and institutional resources. Each review process provides different information and has pros and cons.  In all cases, incomplete or contradictory information will lead to questions for the vendor and may identify the need for alternate access plans.

Accessibility reviews include:

  1. VPAT review and taking the information at face value
  2. Product testing by staff familiar with accessibility
  3. Vendor product demonstration
  4. In-house product accessibility evaluation
  5. Third-party product accessibility audit
  6. User testing of a product by various users of assistive technology

You won’t be surprised that taking the information in a VPAT at face value when it has been self-reported by a vendor may not be the most reliable or accurate method of evaluating accessibility for a product. Then again, doing so is probably the fastest way to review a product, at least initially.

A VPAT review could take a few hours. Contrast this with the several weeks it could take to conduct an in-depth evaluation of the product or to contract a third-party to evaluate the product. While such evaluations could result in more accurate information, depending on the product, there could also be delays for all users or delays in providing alternate access to users with disabilities.

What to Look for in a VPAT

Simply having a VPAT available for a product does not mean the document includes usable information. The information in a VPAT needs to be relevant to an institution’s accessibility conformance review process.

VPAT Editions

There are four editions of the VPAT.  When an institution has adopted the revised Section 508 standards as its minimum accessibility standards for ICT, it is important to review the Revised Section 508 Edition of the VPAT.  Otherwise, the product accessibility information may be incomplete.

For instance, Section 508 standards apply to hardware ICT as well as web content.  If the VPAT WCAG edition for web content is used to report the accessibility conformance of hardware, information describing how the ICT meets hardware standards would probably be missing.

VPAT Version

VPAT 2.4 is the current version. Prior to version 2.0, the information in the VPAT will not reference the revised Section 508 standards. Therefore, the information may be incomplete and difficult to match up with the tools used as part of an institution’s process of evaluating accessibility.

Date Completed

Web content, as well as software and hardware products, changes regularly.  The accessibility documentation should be updated to reflect product development.  The VPAT should therefore be a recent report, from at least within the last 12 months.

VPAT Evaluation Methods Used

The VPAT should identify the evaluation methods used to complete the report. It should answer the questions:

  • What automated tools were used?
  • What manual evaluation techniques were conducted?
  • What browsers and assistive technologies were used?
  • And by whom?

Remarks and Explanations

Vendors report a conformance level for each success criterion. If the conformance level is “Partially Supports” or “Does Not Support”, the remarks should identify:

  • The functions or features with accessibility barriers
  • How the product does not fully support the criterion
  • A roadmap for the vendor to remove the access barriers
  • If the criterion does not apply, an explanation as to why
  • If an accessible alternative is used, a description of it

The roadmap or timeframe from the vendor for removing the accessibility barriers is not included in the VPAT instructions for vendors, but rather, it is information that institutions need to include in alternate access plans as part of Section 508 compliance.

Accessibility Review Example

Let’s consider the first WCAG 2.0 level A success criterion, 1.1.1 Not-text Content.  The first part of 1.1.1 states “All non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose,” then lists specific exceptions. 

When a success criterion is complex, it helps to ask several questions that address all the requirements for the success criterion. This is part of the approach used by the Section 508 Trusted Tester Conformance Test Process Version 5.

  • Question: Does the accessible name and accessible description for a meaningful image provide an equivalent description of the image?

An equivalent description for a meaningful image could be provided in alt text for images or in other types of text alternatives.  For example, a link to an accessible table of data might be provided for a chart.  It is important to note that only a human can determine whether the description is equivalent.

  • Vendor’s answer: Supports; The product uses standard HTML and WAI-ARIA techniques to provide text equivalents for all visual elements. This includes the attributes “alt”, “aria-label”, and “aria-describedby”.

Results

The vendor states that text equivalents are provided for all visual elements. However, the vendor does not state how it was determined that the text descriptions are equivalent for meaningful images.

It would be helpful if the vendor described the process that is used to ensure text descriptions are equivalent.  Otherwise, images could have file names or nonsense text and still pass a test with an automated tool. 

In this case, the vendor states the product conformance level is “Supports” for the success criterion. Taken at face value, the statement indicates no need for alternate access. However, if the VPAT Evaluation Methods Used does not give the reviewer confidence in the vendor’s process, the reviewer might ask the vendor for clarification.

Conclusion

If this VPAT is being reviewed by taking the information reported by the vendor at face value, even though the conformance level for the success criterion reported by the vendor is “Supports,” alternate access may be needed. It will depend on what additional information the vendor provides or if other testing identifies accessibility barriers related to this success criterion.

Disability Justice

With most technology there will usually still be a need for accommodations for those with disabilities. This reality does not have to be a barrier for institutions as they meet their accessibility goals and obligations. Instead, each time an institution reviews ICT, including web proctoring software, that review can be a beneficial part of a collective effort to reduce accessibility barriers for students, faculty, and staff anywhere the product is used.

Accessibility & Compliance Blog

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This blog post was written by Nicolás M. Crisosto, Accessibility Specialist.

Tess Mitchell

Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.

Student Privacy, Online Exams, and COVID-19

As COVID-19 continues to impact the US, colleges are rapidly moving to online learning—an abrupt and jarring transition for many students and faculty. In some places, all courses will be offered online and most colleges and universities haven’t decided if courses in the future will also be online-only. So, what does this mean for students?

For those of you who are already learning online, very little about your schooling structure has changed. However, for students who had intentionally chosen an on-the-ground, in-person learning experience, this might feel like quite a loss. Not only are you being asked to learn new technologies and maintain your grades during a global pandemic, you’re probably missing the on-campus connection with faculty and classmates.

Online Learning: The Practicalities

In addition to processing this entirely new dynamic, you probably have some logistical and privacy concerns as you make the switch to online learning. We don’t blame you—learning a new technology is challenging enough in itself without the additional pressure of doing it overnight. So, we want to take some time to ease your worries and help you understand how Honorlock collects and uses your data.

For starters, we want you to know how seriously we take student privacy online. Honorlock was founded by college students—we get the worries and frustrations that often accompany online learning, and our goal has always been to make those things better.

One of the ways we do this is by maintaining a commitment to honesty. We understand why you might have some concerns about using our platform, so we want to be completely open about what information we collect from you, how we collect it, how (and how long) we store it, and how we use it. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at what Honorlock asks from you, how that compares to other proctoring services, and what else you need to know about protecting student privacy online during exams.

What Information Does Honorlock Collect?

You’re probably wondering what this all means on a practical level. What, exactly, does Honorlock gather during your exam? The short answer is that we gather as little as possible.

  • Using our Chrome extension, we gather your IP address
  • Using your school’s LMS, we also gather your name and email address
  • During the exam, we capture a screen recording and a webcam recording
  • To verify your identity, we’ll also ask you to take a photo of yourself as well as your student ID

That’s it.

You won’t be required to create an account or password—everything about our online proctoring system can be accessed through your LMS. We also don’t access your webcam outside of your exam—as soon as you’re done testing, we stop using it. And, as always, if you continue to be concerned, you can just uninstall the extension and reinstall for your next exam.

The data we collect is for the sole purpose of verifying your identity and ensuring academic integrity. We’ll never sell or share your data and, after 12 months, it is purged from our system. Plus, while we have it stored, we make sure it’s encrypted and secured—everything at Honorlock meets industry standards with AES-256 block encryption. Also, as an AWS partner, Honorlock follows federal NIST 800-88 guidelines for proof of data/drive destruction.

Does Honorlock Have Access to Mobile Devices or Detect Phones?

You may have heard that Honorlock can detect the use of cell phones and other secondary devices.

Here’s the real deal: we do not have access to your mobile devices.

It’s true that our system can create and send alerts if you attempt to search for answers, but those alerts are based on the sites you might visit—not your device. We never have access to your mobile device’s operating system or information—not during your exam and not at any point after.

Does Honorlock Sell My Data?

We do not sell your data. You may have concerns about student privacy online and data security, but don’t worry, Honorlock has you covered.  We only share your data with your educational institution and delete it per school policy.

Using Honorlock’s Online Proctoring System

We know that for many of you online education wasn’t part of the plan. Our goal is to help you make the best of a challenging situation. As you adjust to using Honorlock’s online proctoring system, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support agents with questions—they’re here for you 24/7/365.

We wish you all the best as you transition to online schooling during the pandemic and will be cheering you on as you finish your semester!

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Alice Cifuentes

Alice has several years of marketing experience within healthcare and most recently in higher education focused on social media growth, tradeshow management, and communication. She is passionate about creatively navigating new challenges and discovering innovative ways to connect with educators.