1566 students at the Ecole de Formation du Barreau discovered this February that they would now have to activate geolocation on their phones if they wanted to register their attendance in class, sparking anger and concern among students.
This new measure is not being well received. On February 17, students at the Ecole de Formation du Barreau (EFB) of Paris, one of the eleven law schools in France, discovered the implementation of a new attendance tracking system at their institution. Edusign, the company providing the service, requires students to download an app on their phone, activate geolocation, and scan a QR code to confirm their presence in class.
This system has already been introduced in other prestigious schools, such as HEC Paris and Polytechnique, and aims to reduce what is perceived as excessive absenteeism.
However, this information is not sitting well with students, who condemn it as “surveillance” and an infringement on their digital rights and privacy, particularly since the app must be installed on their personal phones. Additionally, many students criticize the technical solution imposed by the school, arguing that it does not address the underlying reasons for absenteeism.
Following the backlash, the trial phase was suspended as of February 18, as announced by EFB on its Twitter account [1]. In the absence of further updates, it can be assumed that the suspension remains in effect.
It is important to recall that implementing systematic surveillance, as intended by EFB, requires specific legal procedures and careful considerations in line with the French “Informatique et Libertés” law and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). To ensure that such use of students’ personal data is proportionate, the school must adhere to strict legal requirements. If EFB ultimately decides to permanently implement geolocation-based attendance tracking, the institution must ensure full compliance with all legal aspects.
Sources
- Ferrand, Emma, “The Paris Bar School tracks class attendance via geolocation: students outraged,“ February 17, 2023, Le Figaro Étudiant
- Basset, Perrine, “At EFB, student attendance is under surveillance,“ February 28, 2023, CIDJ
- [1] EFB Paris Twitter announcement: https://twitter.com/efbparis/status/1626931450099519488
