massive invasion of privacy and makes everything you do on a document watched and reviewed. if you dont have enough trust in a person to be writing legit, then thats an issue you have to handle yourself

This is more of a question than a review (although this has been an incredibly helpful extension! I teach 11th and 12th grade English). My students have figured out how to pull up AI on another device and just type it in manually on their google doc assignment. It is "obvious" to me when they do this, because of what their typing looks like on the replay, which is very different to someone typing normally as they answers questions and such. However, it cannot be used as "proof" or evidence as it doesn't specifically identify AI use. I am wondering if you keep any data, trends, algorithm information (I don't even know if that is the correct term!), or anything that would indicate a certain type of typing would indicate copying from another source (AI). Or are there other identifiers, such as the number of writing sessions and why some are for less than a minute and generally a lot of these in a row for the kids who are most likely copying from AI. Thanks for any information you may have!

I enjoy this extension, it makes me feel less paranoid of being accused of using AI. My writing often gets flagged and it's been a hassle. To students: I think if you wanted to get around this and use AI more productively, such as to reword a sentence or two, just type it manually from the AI into your paper. It wont flag this things sensors and it keeps you from being a dishonest student. To developer: Have you ever thought of maybe making tick marks or shortcuts to the parts of the replay where the large copy/pastes are? This might help teachers narrow down and look into instances of AI usage while saving students the feeling of being examined.

Great operability- no more checking the history manually!

All of the negative reviews I've read are from students that got caught cheating. This works like Draftback, but gives useful summaries as well. It helps me pinpoint where in the revision history I need to go looking for the specific things students have done. This is super valuable for teachers with the increase in AI use by students.

better than draftback. one of the best extensions

This is a very useful tool for teachers. While all the categories of tools such as Deletions, Large copy/pastes, etc are easy to use and provide insightful information, it will be more helpful to explain what the "Active writing time" means and how it is calculated. Sometimes I see, for example, active writing time is only 12 seconds, but the copy/paste was 6 times and deletion was above 50 times, which causes a confusion because even just completing the 6 times of copy/paste and above 50 times deletion, I doubt if 12 seconds was possible. So how should I understand that?

Excellent tool, useful for all educators.

Quick, easy to use tool for reviewing process, time spent, and progress on a document.

This is more of a question than a review, but I am curious as to how I am able to see edits via Revision History that do not show up in Google version history. Does Revision History have more detailed/granular tracking capabilities than Google Docs version history? Just curious as I determine the validity of the Revision History suggested copy pasted segments.

Game changer. I used to use a plugin called Trackback but this is SOOO much more powerful. Thank you so much for creating this!

I found a problem that is potentially dangerous and could get me accused of being a hacker. The drafting process replay sometimes shows things I deleted at the end. (this extension showed 230 deletions, but there were more) This usually happens when I'm writing in a document that my teacher posted, but I haven't tested it in a blank document. As you can see, one of the comments says "but some advanced coding students have found a way to get around it. I can tell that they are using some kind of software app because the writing playback shows added characters and letters that don't appear in the final product, and there is absolutely NO editing of the words." and I'm worried my teacher might say the same thing as this ignorant person(My teacher is very nice, but I still have concerns) because I also have this problem when watching my own replays. This chrome extension is crazy. As a student, I'm surprised at how widely applicable this product is (but I support student rights, so I give it one star) I don't have anything else to say because I always do my own work.

Is it possible to download every version of the edit?

I am writing to inform you that the "Revision History" extension, which tracks students' edits, time spent writing, and copied snippets in Google Docs, raises concerns regarding student privacy, copyright infringement, and data protection. Despite your claims that the plugin only pulls from data already stored by Google and performs analysis on the user's computer, I strongly disagree with this assertion. By collecting and storing this sensitive information, the extension is in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the privacy of student education records. Furthermore, the extension's ability to detect copied snippets may lead to accusations of copyright infringement, and its use of Google Classroom may be in contravention of Google's Terms of Service. Moreover, even if the analysis is performed on the user's computer, the fact that the extension is designed to track students' edits and time spent writing may still be seen as an invasion of their privacy. I find it particularly concerning that the extension's developers claim to respect student privacy, yet still collect and analyze sensitive information about their academic work. I urge you to immediately cease the development and distribution of this extension, and to take steps to rectify any potential harm that may have already been caused. Failure to do so will result in me taking all necessary legal action to protect the rights of students and educational institutions. This may include filing complaints with regulatory bodies, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Education, as well as pursuing civil litigation against you and your organization. I will not hesitate to take action to ensure that the rights of students and educational institutions are protected, and that the development and distribution of this extension do not continue to pose a risk to their well-being.

Love the concept! We did notice that the cursor doesn't align with the intended spot on occasion. A page refresh solves it...but is this perhaps a bug that can be squashed?

Really useful, so easy to tell if it's ChatGPT or them.

Excellent tool for teachers! I wonder if you know of a similar tool to use for Google Slides?

this extension does not pass the vibe check

this extension does not pass the vibe check

Super useful for teachers like myself! In future updates, I'd love to see this tool work on Google Slides too, not just Google Docs. Is that something you're working on?

Product does exactly what it promises. Very easy to use. I Love being able to see the writing process as a video (and being able to speed it up is super helpful for saving time)

Kraschar hela tiden på en Mac M3

This product is seriously flawed and poses significant risks to your privacy and security. It’s easily one of the worst on the market, riddled with issues that can compromise your personal data. The software is poorly designed, with glaring vulnerabilities that leave your sensitive information exposed to hackers and data breaches. Moreover, the company’s data handling practices are questionable at best, with a strong likelihood that your personal details could be sold or misused without your consent. Users should exercise extreme caution and avoid this product at all costs if they value their privacy and data security. I will be taking legal action.

worst thing ever invented

This helped me immensely with grading assignments. Being able to see the keystroke history was so incredibly helpful and streamlined the process. Two recommendations: 1. Sometimes it shows students have pasted the same text multiple times over and over again. I saw one student had over 101 pastes of the same text when I know that isn't the case. 2. Extend this to be able to see revision history for more than just google docs. I want to see revision history for google slides as well.

While I wouldn't rely on this entirely to catch AI and plagiarism, the app excels in its mission of making the edit history (already accessible, if I wanted to waste my entire day to nail a cheater to a wall) incredibly user friendly. That alone will save me a few minutes per paper I grade!

It works for the most part, but some advanced coding students have found a way to get around it. I can tell that they are using some kind of software app because the writing playback shows added characters and letters that don't appear in the final product, and there is absolutely NO editing of the words. No one can write an entire essay without having to hit backspace a few times! I hope I can figure out what that is. And to those who say spying is wrong and it feels like living in a police state, I say, welcome to a world where 10-30 percent of your classmates refuse to do their own work. It stinks that so many people have to suffer because of what a few bad actors choose to do, but that is the world we live in today. There are many other examples of how school life has been affected in response to a few bad actors.

It's good but damn it makes me feel guilty for no reason.

Amazing tool! Really helped me gain perspective on the amount of time it takes a student to complete the assignment. Showing what elements were copied and pasted also adds more clarity than other extensions like Draftback or Google Docs revision history. But, any chance it can be updated to work on Google Slides too? Thanks so much for making this tool!

although I feel like it's a great tool for teachers, we are under estimating our students. Not only do I feel like spying on them is a waste of time, they're going to learn really quick how to get around this by copy + paste a whole essay into a new document and turn that in. So if we have time to go through and watch our students (not write) their paper, what else could we be doing with that time, instead? As a parent, I'd prefer the time be spent teaching stuff they're going to need when they're older.

This is a great chrome extension for teachers! Sadly, it is almost a requirement for teachers these days. It would be awesome if it displayed where the student copied their information from. Thank you so much for developing this amazing tool.

Does not work if the original document is copy + pasted into a new word document and the new doc is submitted. Tried it out myself. It will just say "13 seconds" however long it takes to paste.

This works as it is intended, but as a student, it feels like whenever you write, its like you're in a police state, I am being watched and I hate it.

Excellent tool. Almost a requirement for teachers these days.

Please allow for fast forward and rewind of video playback. Great chrome extension for teachers!

I'm a high school English Teacher and I've been using the Revision History extension since last spring. I remain incredibly happy with this extension's ease of integration, multiple modalities, and the responsiveness of the developer. While I suspect many are drawn to it initially, like me, because they want a way to begin to quantify behaviors within documents that might suggest a lack of originality, I've ended up using this extension to enhance my teaching and coaching of writing across the board. The video replay function and clear time-sorted data make it possible for me to help students and their parents visualize the writing process and think about how to improve their process itself. For the students who want to grow as writers but feel stalled, the extension offers us new ways to understand their process. When parents are hearing a different story at home than the one the document tells, the data overview and video are far simpler to share than the built in revision view from Google Docs. Additionally, I have had an incredibly positive experience when I reached out with a question about the app. I got speedy, friendly responses to my email and all of my questions were answered within five minutes of sending each email (!!!). While no program is perfect, this one does what it says and I suspect the negative review posted before me is actually posted by a kid who engaged in Academic Dishonesty and was appropriately flagged for it.

This extension hacked my computer and got me in trouble for saying bad words. Do not install this extension unless you want your system hacked!

Thank you so much for developing this amazing tool. I tried two other google doc replays and this one is my favorite. It showed the copy, edits, and pastes at its exact moment so it was easier for me to understand what was done. The other extensions were glitchy (freezing) and a little too fast (even at the slowest speed) so it confused me. Great tool for teachers, parents, and students. Thank you Daniel.

Super helpful to student and teachers alike! This application is a great resource that not only discourages plagiarism and ai, but also enables students to track their own progress.

This is a wonderful tool for teachers and students alike, helping my child stay on task and be less inclined to plagiarise. However, I wonder if it's possible to disable or block my employers from using this extension to track my work status. I've been hounded for copying and pasting work, despite it being data from the company database, and I feel that many employees would thank you for this.

Love the video. I watched a student create a document in about four minutes by pasting in three large passages. They then spent about 15 minutes inserting synonyms, trying to hide what they'd done. Entertaining, but also informative. Thanks for creating this, Daniel Newman.

Massive data privacy concern. The amount of information this extensions collects is concerning and causes issues on my personal computer. Would not recommend, should be taken off the chrome web store.

This is a wonderful tool for teachers. No problems and you can watch the video of the work being done. I could even pause the video and copy/paste into AI detectors and plagiarism checkers.