Browser Extension
One Chrome extension, force-installed from the Admin console, carries everything UserAuthGuard does inside the student’s browser: filtering, keyword alerts, live screen view, loaner notices, lost-device mode and the student’s Report a problem button. What it collects and how long it is kept are district settings.
What it does
Assignment and the Chromebook rules need no extension; Google enforces them. Everything that happens inside the browser does: knowing which student is signed in on which device right now, filtering, safety alerts, a teacher’s screen wall. UserAuthGuard does all of that through a single extension rather than several.
Deployment is the standard Admin console path: force-install the UserAuthGuard extension from the Chrome Web Store (listed as UserAuthGuard Chromebook Monitor) on your student OUs under Apps & extensions. Nothing is installed by hand and students cannot remove it. Once installed, the extension signs in with the student’s school account and reports a heartbeat: this student, this device, online now. That heartbeat is what makes the fleet view live, shows which devices are actually in use, and lets a loaner notice or a lost-device screen reach the right machine.
From there each module uses it: filtering applies the district’s rules to page requests; keyword alerts watch typed searches; screen view sends frames while a teacher’s session is open; loaner management shows the due date; lost-device mode shows a return notice or reports location; the student popup offers Report a problem and the acceptable-use acknowledgement. The district controls what is kept: searched-term retention and screenshot retention are set in days, and screen view is limited to the hours and weekdays you choose.
- ✓ Force-installed from the Admin consoleStandard Apps & extensions deployment on your student OUs. No hand installation; students cannot remove it.
- ✓ Who is on which device, nowA heartbeat ties the signed-in student to the device and the time, so the dashboard shows what is in use rather than what was enrolled.
- ✓ One extension for every browser-side moduleFiltering, keyword alerts, screen view, loaner notices, lost-device mode, Report a problem, acceptable-use acknowledgement.
- ✓ Retention in days, set by youSearched terms and screenshots are kept for the number of days the district sets, then deleted.
- ✓ Watching limited to hours you setScreen view is only available inside the time window and weekdays the district chooses.
- ✓ Tampering reportedAttempts to disable or bypass the extension are detected and logged, with an optional screenshot.
Requires
- The Enterprise Plus plan for the filtering, alerting and screen view modules. Loaner notices, lost-device mode and Report a problem come with their Enterprise modules.
- Managed Chromebooks with students signing in to their school account. The extension follows the account, not the hardware.
- Force-install from the Admin console on the student OUs you choose.
Does not
- Run without a browser window. If no Chrome window is open, nothing is sent; a device that is signed in but idle at the desktop reports nothing.
- See Android apps or anything outside Chrome. It is a Chrome extension.
- Record video or keep screenshots indefinitely. Screen view is live, and screenshots taken on alerts expire on your schedule.
- Enforce assignment. That is Google’s sign-in restriction on the device’s OU, and it works with the extension removed.
Where it fits
Rolling out to one building first
Force-install on one school’s student OU. Heartbeats start arriving, the fleet view for that building goes live, and you turn on filtering and screen view for that building before the rest.
The student side
The popup shows the student their device, their loaner due date if they have one, and a Report a problem button that opens a ticket with the device attached.
Answering the privacy question
A parent asks what is collected and for how long. The answer is a settings page: which modules are on, searched-term retention in days, screenshot retention in days, and the hours screen view is allowed.
Frequently asked questions
How is the extension deployed?
From the Google Admin console: Devices, Chrome, Apps & extensions, on the student OUs you choose, set to force-install. Add the UserAuthGuard extension from the Chrome Web Store, where it is listed as UserAuthGuard Chromebook Monitor. Devices pick it up at their next policy refresh.
Does it monitor students at home?
Filtering and keyword alerts follow the student’s account on any network, because a take-home device needs them at home. Screen view is only available inside the hours and weekdays the district sets, so most districts cannot open a screen session after school.
What data does it collect?
A heartbeat (student, device, time), page visits for filtering and screen-time reporting, searched terms for keyword alerts, screen frames while a teacher’s session is open, and screenshots on safety or bypass events if you enable them. Searched-term and screenshot retention are set in days by the district.
Can a student disable it?
A force-installed extension cannot be removed by the user. Attempts to disable or work around it are detected and logged, and the device’s heartbeat gap shows up in the dashboard.
Is the extension needed for assignment or the Chromebook rules?
No. The sign-in restriction, school Wi-Fi only, overnight lock and the sign-in screen are Google policies written to the device’s OU. They hold with no extension installed.
One extension, deployed once
The browser-side modules are part of the Enterprise Plus plan, quoted per district. Book a walkthrough, or start free: the gap report lists every device with no owner and every student with no device.