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I was taking a university computer studies course and the cengage curriculum had a project that required setting up a LinkedIn account.

I wrote a letter saying this sort of data mining for marks was stupid and abhorrent.

I received no comment on my objection, just a zero.



Did you talk to your classmates and organize your classmates to take this to the Dean?

Even just 5 people getting up in the middle of the class, heading straight to the dean's office and demanding to know why we are being forced to give our information to Microsoft needlessly would have likely remedied your situation that same day.

If there is serious discontent in the class, forcing the dean to meet with you/your classmates immediately is a solid power move that worked for myself and my friends that went to other institutions. Show them how their professors fucked up and demand they fix it, its not the student's fault that they are teaching a crummy curriculum.

Additionally, post-graduation when they sell your contact information ensure you document who contacted you using the information they sold, and escalate it with the Faculty. Framing it as data theft from the institution is a solid way to escalate to the president of your university, then you can harangue them about their terrible business practices.


It was this past year (and I don’t like zoom) so I’ve had zero interaction with classmates.

If this situation wasn’t so stupid and anger inducing, I think I’d be much more depressed about it.




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