GPS, AI CCTV, watermarks: Why tech safeguards failed to protect NEET

Despite GPS tracking, AI-enabled CCTV surveillance and watermarking of question papers, the latest NEET-UG paper leak has exposed the limits of technology in securing India's high-stakes examinations.

Earlier this week, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG examination – one of India’s largest medical entrance tests – despite deploying a range of technology-driven safeguards, including GPS tracking, AI-enabled CCTV monitoring and watermarking of question papers. The exam, conducted on May 3, had over 2.2 million candidates appearing across the country.

 

Over the last decade, India's national medical entrance examination has repeatedly faced allegations of paper leaks and exam malpractice. The 2015 AIPMT leak that led to a complete cancellation and retest, a proxy candidate racket uncovered in 2021, paper leaks and widespread irregularities that marred NEET-UG 2024, and now, the 2026 cancellation that has once again thrown the integrity of the system into question.

 

 

This year was supposed to be different. Following the controversies surrounding the entrance exam, the NTA underwent a leadership overhaul, and in March this year, former IndiaAI Mission CEO Abhishek Singh took charge as director general. He also announced a two-pronged “zero error” and “zero tolerance” policy, which meant “no malpractice is allowed at any stage, from the integrity of the question papers to the actual administration of the test, whether it is computer-based or pen-and-paper.”

 

Despite the expanded surveillance architecture around this year’s exam, the cancellation has raised a larger question: why did technology fail to secure the examination?

 

What safeguards were introduced?

 

To protect the integrity of the examination, which every year determines the future of millions of students, the NTA said it had introduced multiple layers of security this year. According to the agency, confidential examination materials were handled under sealed protocols with end-to-end monitoring. GPS-enabled vehicles, accompanied by police escorts, were used to transport question papers and other sensitive material.

 

The NTA also said CCTV surveillance was installed across all examination centres, with feeds linked to centralised control rooms for real-time monitoring. Candidates underwent mandatory frisking using high-sensitivity metal detectors before entering centres, while Aadhaar-based biometric authentication was introduced to prevent impersonation. Additionally, the agency said manpower and security arrangements at examination centres were strengthened, alongside centralised monitoring systems to track the conduct of the exam in real time. 

 

Where did the lapse occur?

 

While these technologies can strengthen monitoring and improve traceability, they are not designed to eliminate every vulnerability in the examination chain. Systems such as GPS tracking can monitor the movement of question papers, watermarking can help trace the origin of a leak after a breach, and CCTV surveillance can flag suspicious activity at examination centres. Together, they help create a stronger audit trail around the conduct of the exam.

 

However, technology has limitations when the examination process still depends heavily on human handling and local enforcement. Vulnerabilities can emerge at multiple stages, from printing and packaging, transport and storage of papers, to access to strong rooms, centre-level handling of confidential material, and invigilation during the examination itself.

 

Rupesh Chaudhary, a botany teacher at PhysicsWallah, said, “I got some messages from my students. They were showing screenshots of a Telegram chat. Earlier, I ignored it because every year these kinds of groups are created just to earn money.”

 

The leak indicates that even a small breach at one point in the examination chain can quickly escalate into a large-scale compromise once the material is digitised and circulated through encrypted messaging platforms and social media networks.

 

Technology is only as effective as the people operating it. GPS tracking may show whether a vehicle deviated from its route, but it cannot confirm whether papers were accessed during transit. Similarly, CCTV systems can record activity inside centres, but poor-quality feeds, blind spots, delayed monitoring, or a lack of timely intervention can weaken their effectiveness.

 

While the breach may have benefited only a fraction of candidates, lakhs of others will now have to retake the examination on June 21 to prove their merit again. Swapnil Ravin More, from Akola in Maharashtra, had appeared for NEET-UG this year, which is his third attempt overall. According to his estimates, he was expecting around 597 marks out of 720. Now, he will have to appear for the exam again. 

 

The latest controversy has once again highlighted the limits of technology-led exam security: while digital systems can strengthen oversight and aid investigations, they cannot fully eliminate human collusion, weak enforcement, or administrative failures across a vast examination network.