Proctorio is more invasive than a Proctology exam
For immediate release March 3, 2021
Press contact: press@fightforthefuture.org
“We apologize to any proctologists we offend with this message,” said a representative for Fight for the Future. “Unlike Proctorio’s Mike Olsen, they help people and don’t belittle basic human rights.”
Image description: Mike Olsen’s try-hard black and white LinkedIn profile picture overlaid with the website URL and hashtag #InvestigateProctorio
Fight for the Future has launched a new website laying out the case against embattled e-proctoring app Proctorio, and their blundering CEO Mike Olsen. The website, which can be found at both MikeOlsenTeenageLapCam.com and ProctorioIsWorseThanAProctologyExam.com, highlights the disparities in social good between the racist, ableist e-proctoring app and a rectal exam.
Most recently in the news for lying about having clients like Duke University on their website homepage, and for its racist facial analysis tech forcing a young woman of color to take an exam while shining a flashlight on her face, Proctorio is facing serious scrutiny from clients and regulators alike. The University of Washington joined a growing number of institutions that will not renew their contract with Proctorio last week.
“Students have been organizing for over a year now to try and stop Mike Olsen from filming their laps and invading their bedrooms,” said a representative for Fight for the Future, organizers of ProctorioIsWorseThanAProctologyExam.com and BanEProctoring.com. “Universities are actively complicit in one of the most preventable gaffes of the COVID-19 pandemic—an egregious, racist, ableist, invasion of student privacy by a CEO who likes to intimidate teenagers on social media.”
“We don’t like Mike,” Fight’s representative continued. “He’s simply not the ‘Artful Hacker’ he describes himself as on Twitter. His company is a dumpster fire and we encourage anyone working there to expose the trash and abuse that’s undoubtedly happening behind the scenes at Proctorio. When students can’t count on universities or their elected representatives to stand up for their rights, they have to count on activists and we’re here for anyone who wants to join that fight.”
The website also includes a list of Olsen’s most ridiculous behavior, with direct quotes including “It’s hilarious, students pretending to care where their data goes. Whether they’re cheating or not, I don’t really care, but then they go out and they just say things. They don’t do any research, they just make things up.” and “If you’re gonna lie bro… don’t do it when the company clearly has an entire transcript of your conversation.”