Frequently asked questions

I don't want to submit my assignment to Turnitin, because then my intellectual property can be used by a private company to make a profit.

I disagree with the premise of such software detection technology, which assumes guilt before establishment of innocence.  Our legal system assumes innocence before proven otherwise.

I am concerned that if I write a paper on a sensitive topic, that security services might have access to the data base of Turnitin.  If so, the next time I travel to the United States, I might get stopped at the border.

I don't want to submit my assignment to Turnitin, because then my intellectual property can be used by a private company to make a profit.

Best practice is that students are given an alternative to Turnitin, so if they do not want to submit their assignment for screening they do not have to do so.  See guidelines regarding course outlines.

I disagree with the premise of such software detection technology, which assumes guilt before establishment of innocence.  Our legal system assumes innocence before proven otherwise.

Turnitin is much like the Ride Program conducted by police to catch drivers who have drunk more than the legal limit. The police do not assume any one driver is guilty of drinking too much. They want to identify drivers who are over the legal limit, in order to ensure safety for all travellers on the highway.
In a similar manner, if nothing has been plagiarized or otherwise used improperly, a student has nothing to be concerned about.  And, like a driver who has not gone over the legal limit of alcohol, the student who has done nothing inappropriate has greater assurance that other students who might be getting an unfair advantage by cheating will be caught.

I am concerned that if I write a paper on a sensitive topic, that security services might have access to the data base of Turnitin.  If so, the next time I travel to the United States, I might get stopped at the border.

Turnitin recognizes this issue.  Several years ago it agreed that its servers that support Canadian universities would be in Canada, not in the United States of America.