ABSURD! That’s the word you will be looking for after reading the following paragraph.
Just when you thought that third-party agencies along with various other organizations were already destroying the very foundations of the digital playground aka the internet; it was discovered that Australian universities are monitoring and tracking their students' “activities” to improve their experience and retention rates.
This is just one example of how people's online security and privacy is being compromised on a daily basis for little gains. Funnily enough, the aforementioned universities have decided to take such a step without their students' approval.
Even though these universities have been criticized for taking such a step, the University of Melbourne has blatantly defended the move by stating that they are not in fact tracking people but just “looking at movements”, which is contradictory to say the least. The university further explained that it only 'looks' at their students’ phones and see where they are in order to “plan better”. It goes without saying that the university's defense for “looking” at its students is still a breach of privacy, regardless of their motives and whether they are good or not.
There are serious concerns regarding this “technique” adapted by Australian universities, and people are already questioning its legality. Additionally, there are fears regarding the collected information being misused. Keeping this in mind, it is extremely important for students to be given the option to consent to being tracked or not. Even if the university's purpose for taking such a step has its benefits, it still does not justify the means.
For those that who are a part of universities tracking student online activities, you are not out for the count. Fortunately, you can protect your online security and anonymity with the help of a VPN, like PureVPN. Not only will third-party organizations, hackers and cybercriminals not be able to monitor you, but you will be able to browse the internet without risking your personal information.
