Renewed calls to boycott check-in app at Bristol Uni announced with banner drop

BristolOccupy4Palestine have renewed calls for Boyccott of Bristol Uni’s check-in app made by Israeli company Ex Libre with a banner drop in Senate House.

The group along with Student Action Bristol and Bristol Socialist Society have penned an open letter calling students to boycott the use of the app. The letter urges students to “heed the call for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.” Citing its: “invasive nature and manifestation of UOB’s complicity”

Around 15 students dropped banners over the balcony in Senate House today (Monday 20th January)  stating, “All of Gaza’s universities have been bombed” and “Boycott, check-in app, free Palestine.”

This comes a day after a ceasefire agreement began between Israel and Hamas.

Recently, international student Marie, told the Tab that they had to end the app boycott or risk their visa being cancelled. They said: “It functions purely to punish students, especially students with visas.”

The open letter mentions the risk to international students as well as those with disabilities who may have difficulty keeping up a steady attendance.

Miles, one of the student protestors, told the Bristol Tab: “As university students, we are expected to be independent and self-motivated towards our education, and we expect to be treated as such. The monitoring of our locations by the check-in app completely undermines this expectation and is an affront to our freedom of movement as well as a threat to our privacy.”

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Another student, Benji, spoke about the app in relation to students with disabilities, stated:“The use of the check-in app shows no regard for the diverse situations of students. It is intrinsically ableist as data collected disproportionately impacts students with disabilities who may be unable to attend classes regularly.”

The university has remained “neutral” on the war in Gaza, the group has called this out stating: “Claiming neutrality in the face of a live-streamed genocide is to fully and knowingly embrace genocide denial.”

A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “It’s important that we register attendance at lectures and seminars. Checking in to classes is one of several ways we can monitor how students are engaging with their studies and if they are not attending, we may contact them to understand why and offer support if appropriate.  This is the case for both home and international students

“We’ve always registered attendance and in the past this has included physical or online registers, and UCard swipes. In addition, UK Visas and Immigration requires that students sponsored by universities have engagement with their studies monitored and reported to enable their visa sponsorship to continue. We have provision for and can organise alternative arrangements for students who are on a student study support plan and are unable to use the app because of a disability.

“The University of Bristol app is a simple way for students to let us know they are attending their classes. The location of the device is only recorded at the time the check-in button is pressed. It is not recorded at other times and the app does not track students’ locations.

“Bristol joins several other universities who are already using this student-led approach to capturing attendance. The use of the app, and the decision to use this particular platform, was fully assessed by the University. The data collected is minimised to satisfy attendance purposes only. The University is not collecting data or using the app in a way that makes the data accessible to third parties.”

Ex Libre has been approached for comment