A lockdown-browser alternative — no download required

Why we don't ship a lockdown browser

A lockdown browser works by taking over the participant's device — closing other applications, blocking browser tabs, sometimes disabling the ability to switch windows at all. It's effective at stopping certain shortcuts, but it also means installing software with that level of system access, which is exactly the point where support tickets and privacy questions start piling up: participants using a managed work laptop, an old operating system, or a locked-down university machine can find themselves unable to install anything at all.

Visual detection sidesteps that trade-off by watching rather than restricting — a webcam and, optionally, a shared screen, monitored the same way as any other PRUEFSTER exam. Nothing is installed and nothing on the device is disabled, which is why the support burden compared to a lockdown browser is lower and there's no separate uninstall step once the exam ends. It isn't a strictly stronger method — a lockdown browser stops some actions a webcam can only flag after the fact — which is why the two can be combined on exams where both the restriction and the visual record are worth the extra setup.