By Rory Sampson
STANFORD, CA—With new technology comes new consequences, as junior student Allie Speigel found out the hard way. Google’s new StreetView technology, which allows users to see images at street level, caught the junior Speigel violating the Stanford Honor Code. The close up pictures and the zoom feature of Google StreetView revealed that she was clearly using her computer for a take home test. A user quickly reported a concern and she Speigel was caught.
University administrators were quick to applaud Google for its use of technology in preventing cheating. “The Stanford Honor Code proves itself once again,” said Provost John Etchemendy. “It’s just great that we can use technology to peer into the private lives of all of our students and really make sure that they aren’t cheating. Kudos to Google.”
Students were unsure about the event, and many thought this was an invasion of privacy. “Sure she was cheating, but that really isn’t the point,” said politically aware student Jake Enspoch. “The point is that we as a society are losing our privacy to these technological giants. They now can track your every move, every purchase, and every girlfriend through Google StreetView images of windows. I urge students to close their blinds in protest.”
Allie Speigel said this was a rude awakening. “I thought they trusted us with this Honor Code thing, so I could just cheat or whatever. But I guess not… honestly, it’s just so stupid. Especially on this take home test. Like really, who gives take home tests?”
Since Google StreetView caught another guy smoking weed in his room at Berkeley, a girl stealing from a convenience store in Palo Alto, and a group of friends sneaking into the Ricker dining hall, people around the country have started to rethink how they interact with technology. “We’re in the digital era,” said Enspoch. “It’s time to get ready.”
