Hunter
04/18/25
A University of Iowa student who claims his online privacy was violated has brought suit against the university.
The Gazette reports 46-year-old criminology student Marc Muklewicz said an unauthorized video taken of him in an online class and posted online led to his learning that anyone with the link to a Zoom course at UI could access it without needing to log in with university credentials or any other form of verification.
Muklewicz claims the University of Iowa has done nothing to remedy the situation and he refuses to attend classes until he’s sure that when he logs into a course, he is safe in doing so.
He learned of the alleged breach after his wife started receiving messages from friends and acquaintances about a post made by an affiliate of Barstool on Instagram showing him smoking an e-cigarette during an online course. The way the video was edited only showed Muklewicz blowing out smoke, implying that he was using drugs during class.
He notified the course professor, who notified the Office of Student Accountability. They told Muklewicz it would be difficult to find out who recorded him, but Muklewicz found out that individuals could log onto Zoom sites without credentials.
The suit charges the U of I with negligence, breach of contract, public disclosure of private facts and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Muklewicz is seeking damages and a requirement that the UI secure its Zoom classes.