The anxiety is real
When students hear "online proctoring," many freeze. They've read stories about webcam footage being stored, facial recognition databases being built, and exam sessions being reviewed by strangers in offshore call centres. Some of those stories are true — and that's exactly why ProctorSafe exists.
This article is a straight answer to a straightforward question: what does ProctorSafe actually see when you take an exam?
No marketing language. No "we take privacy seriously." Just the technical truth.
What ProctorSafe analyses — on your device
ProctorSafe runs a small piece of software (the ProctorSafe SDK) directly in your browser during the exam. Everything it analyses stays on your machine. Nothing is streamed, uploaded, or stored.
Here's what it looks for, locally:
1. Browser environment signals
The SDK checks that your browser is in a legitimate window (not a modified or scripted environment). It detects:
- Whether developer tools are open
- Whether the page is embedded in an iframe
- Whether the display resolution has changed mid-exam
These are metadata signals — not images or recordings.
2. Tab-switching and window focus
ProctorSafe notes when you switch away from the exam tab. It doesn't record what you do in other tabs — it just registers the event and timestamps it.
This matters because context-switching is a legitimate test-taking behaviour, and the signal should reflect that, not flag every glance at a reference tab.
3. Face and presence detection (local only)
ProctorSafe can detect whether a face is present in the webcam frame using on-device landmark points. No image is captured or transmitted. The device sends a simple binary signal — "face present" or "face absent" — plus a confidence score.
If your institution has enabled face verification, the SDK checks whether the face in the frame matches the one enrolled at exam start. Again: no image travels anywhere.
4. Audio level monitoring (optional, institution-controlled)
If your institution opts in, ProctorSafe monitors ambient audio levels — not content. It detects whether significant noise is present (someone speaking in the room, for example) and flags it as an anomaly signal.
It does not transcribe, record, or analyse speech content.
What ProctorSafe never sees
To be unambiguous:
- Your face — no image or video is captured
- Your voice — no audio is recorded or transmitted
- Your screen — no screen recording takes place
- Your other browser tabs — no visibility into what you browse
- Your biometric template — face landmark data is ephemeral and deleted after processing
- Your keystrokes — ProctorSafe does not log typing patterns
- Your location — no GPS or IP-based geolocation is used
The only data that leaves your device are anonymous event signals: timestamped flags like "tab_switch: timestamp_1718000000, duration_3s." These signals are encrypted in transit and stored without any identifying information linked to your identity.
How institutions use the signal data
Your institution receives an alert log — a structured record of events that occurred during your exam session. A typical log entry looks like this:
exam_id: "EX-2024-0412"
session_id: "sess_8f3k2m"
events:
- type: "tab_switch"
timestamp: 1718000000
duration: 3
- type: "face_absent"
timestamp: 1718000120
- type: "audio_spike"
timestamp: 1718000450
Note what's not there: no images, no video, no audio clips, no names. Your institution sees a numbered session. That's it.
A human reviewer, if one is assigned, sees only this log. They do not watch a recording of you. They assess the pattern of events and decide whether follow-up is warranted.
Your rights under GDPR
Because ProctorSafe processes no biometric images and retains no personal data, your rights under GDPR are straightforward:
- Right of access — ask your institution what signals were logged for your session
- Right to erasure — the signal log can be deleted after the appeals window closes (your institution controls this)
- Right to object — you can raise concerns with your institution's Data Protection Officer
No data leaves your device that would make any of these rights moot.
TL;DR
| What happens | Where |
|---|---|
| Face detection | On your device only |
| Tab switching | Signal logged, content not captured |
| Audio monitoring (if enabled) | Level only, no speech content |
| Alerts sent to institution | Encrypted anonymous event log |
| Images or video | Never captured or transmitted |
ProctorSafe's architecture is built on a simple principle: detect signal, discard evidence, act on data, not on people.
If your institution uses ProctorSafe and you have questions about how your session was handled, contact your course administrator or DPO. If you're an institution evaluating ProctorSafe, request a technical walkthrough and DPIA template at proctorsafe.eu.