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During my years of being an invigilator for university exams, I once saw a student cheat. It was such an uncomfortable few minutes as I stood in the exam hall and watched him take some paper from his pocket and place it furtively under his writing booklet. When questioned, he confessed and eventually I heard that he’d been thrown off the course. I thought of this incident after reading that online exams have seen a huge rise in cheating in some of Britain’s most prestigious universities. With the severe disruption to education caused by Covid-19, online exams have become a norm across the higher education sector and for many, this format is far more preferable than facing the stress of exam halls. But whether or not exams are the most effective way of assessing knowledge, simply being online makes it easier to cheat whether its plagiarism or using essay writing services. Exams should test individual aptitude, and the ability to answer questions in a setting which doesn’t allow access to multiple resources such as AI. And while its right that there are consequences for cheating, it’s also important to support students so that they understand the value of academic integrity. After all, universities aren’t simply places of learning; they also provide an environment for building character, preparing you for adult life where hard work, fairness and discipline should matter. Perhaps the bigger question is the extent to which the digital world has blurred the boundaries of what exactly counts as cheating. Whether its cheating in an exam, in our professional lives, or in our personal relationships, it can be easy to convince ourselves that our online dishonesty isn’t really hurting anyone because it’s not real or that it’s easier to hide. But our conscience should be a reminder, as reflected in the words of the prophet `Righteousness is good character, and wrongdoing is that which wavers in your heart and which you don’t want people to know about.’ This sentiment lies in the Islamic concept of ihsan, which encourages us to perfect our behaviour and act with integrity rather than think, `well, if everybody else is breaking the rules, then why not me?’ Because the danger here is that we create cultures of mistrust and selfishness where it doesn’t matter how we get what we want. Quite simply, we have to value and encourage honesty and accountability as traits that help us do the right thing not just for own happiness but for the moral wellbeing of our societies.