UW-Madison Disables Part of Anti-Cheating Software

Tuesday, April 6th, 2021 -- 11:00 AM

(AP) The University of Wisconsin-Madison has disabled part of its digital anti-cheating software after students complained it didn’t recognize their darker skin tones.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported Sunday that UW-Madison started using anti-cheating software known as Honorlock last summer after classes went online.  The software can lock down student’s browsers, record their faces and scan their rooms.

UW-Madison spokeswoman Meredith McGlone said the university disabled Honorlock’s exam pause feature on March 11 after three students said it activated after failing to recognize their darker skin tone.

Honorlock officials said the students were looking down or away from their cameras during an exam and the software paused the test because it couldn’t detect facial features.

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