No, your university does not have access to what you're doing on your laptop.
No, your university does not have access to what you're doing on your laptop.
I’m not sure where to ask this, but the network forum seemed like the best place. I’m a bit worried, but I need to find out if my university can track what I search for while using their proxy server. They’re not computer experts, but I want to know: 1. Do they see what I look up online, like on Google? 2. Can they monitor searches across different sites? 3. Is it possible for them to record these activities? 4. Why can’t I use a VPN with this proxy? They just don’t work. Without this proxy, the LAN also fails. Also, why isn’t their Wi-Fi working without a CA certificate? That seems suspicious. Can you explain what a proxy server is and how it functions?
A proxy server acts as an intermediary between your device and the server, letting administrators set up security measures like firewalls and web filters. These can block access to VPNs or certain sites. You can paste links into their browser to test. I tried this with my old ISP on a non-mobile broadband network—it showed history for about 30 days. Larger networks might store more data, possibly blocking specific content. Your university likely has better capabilities than a typical home router.
I worked in IT at a university for a while. It was impressive—they had full visibility and could block almost anything. If you broke rules, your internet access would be cut off using your student ID. Restoring it meant contacting the IT department, who would then issue a warning.
Their system, their guidelines. If you disagree, you might opt for a portable hotspot and a personal data plan. However, in practice, unless you're creating issues, they likely won't mind how you use the connection.