The past century has seen historic leaps in technological innovation. But if we want to enjoy these new technologies, we must be ready to face the dangers that come with them. One of these dangers is becoming clear for students of Syracuse University as some professors begin using surveillance technology to track their class attendance and location.

This development is both unique and scary, though it may not seem that way at first. The government’s ability to surveil its citizens has been common knowledge for a while now, but it’s another thing entirely when private organizations harness that same power and use it for their own gain. While the technologies provide advantages to universities and students, they also open to door to serious invasions of privacy.

A few years ago, there was widespread outrage when people realized that social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram were monitoring their users’ activity so that they could better target them with ads. Later, when Amazon was accused of using its Alexa personal assistants to record people’s conversations and apply the topics discussed to their own marketing schemes, the public was furious. Now, SU is wielding similar power towards purposes of their own, and in doing so has brought to light the unsteady ground its students stand upon when it comes to the protection of their data.

Many U.S. colleges are using surveillance technology to keep track of their students. SU is now one of the thousands of colleges that rely on surveillance technology to keep track of their students.

Some SU professors rely on an app called SpotterEDU, where instructors are able to automate the process of taking attendance, something that has often been an issue for teachers with large lecture halls. This technology may sound invasive and scary, but in reality, it only provides administrators with the bare minimum of information — whether or not a student is in class.

“The one thing we knew we had to be extremely accurate, but not invasive,” said Rick Carter, CEO and co-founder of SpotterEDU, in an interview.

Carter claims that student privacy is the number one priority for the company.

“We wanted to make sure a college student still had the ability to make their own decisions, and everything they were doing wasn’t being watched and reported to someone else. Because that’s not the point of college,” he said.

On a small scale, using these kinds of systems to improve the educational experience at a university is a good thing. For professors, it can make the burden of taking attendance easier and more efficient. Students, on the other hand, are supplied with proof of their attendance which provides reassurance of maintaining good attendance, which many professors include in grading.

Before the arrival of these technologies, it was assumed that people had the right to basic privacy. Now, many Americans have chosen to allow certain invasions, as it can be worth it to trade privacy for convenience and safety. When branches of the government comb through our personal data, they are able to intercept and prevent countless threats to our safety every day.  Meanwhile, the ethics of private universities like SU are more difficult to predict.

SU’s privacy policy explains the university’s reasoning for collecting some student data.

“We need to use your personal data for our legitimate interests in being able to manage Syracuse University’s operations, its courses and its programs,” it reads.

While this explanation may seem boring, it may be among the most important things on the page, and that’s because of its phrasing. There’s no further information provided for what the university’s “legitimate interests” might be. While it is possible that student data will truly be used exclusively in the interests of genuine academic improvement, it’s important that anyone agreeing to that policy is aware of the open-endedness contained in sections such as this one.

Current SU students are becoming adults at a time when the world around them is changing just as drastically. The best that we can do as a generation coming of age within this period of innovation is to approach each new situation with caution.

It’s important that we move confidently within this new environment by educating ourselves on our privacy rights so that we know when they are being infringed upon, and we need to demand that private organizations such as SU provide us with the information we need to do so.

While these new surveillance technologies deployed by universities across the country provide advantages to students and professors, they may also cross the line of privacy invasion.

Dylan Williams is a freshman in the transmedia department. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at dwilli39@syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter @_DylanFox_.

Published on January 28, 2020 at 9:22 pm