To answer your initial question, Randy, I think it would be beneficial to know the exact offense. I mean, was the proctor acting independently and accessing the unauthorized information or was the owner of the test center involved in obtaining the information? You wouldn't give a thief the same penalty as a murderer. Either way, at a minimum, IF it is suspected that the exams were leaked through any one specific test center, that center should be immediately shut down for further investigation. I know Microsoft does (or did) this because I've helped them do it.

From there, it should be proven that the test center (not an individual working for the test center) is the source of the leak. If so, the test center and all of it's equipment should be turned over to the certification vendor (in the case of a CPLS) or a group such as the ATP who can use that facility to provide quality training without the worry of further leaks.

If it is merely an employee of the test center that is the cause of the leak, then that offense should be punishable by the standards of the local laws. (Do they still lose a hand for stealing in the middle-east?)

Here is the problem that most, if not all, of the certification vendors have run into: The fact that the test centers which appear to be the source of the leaks are in countries such as India, Pakistan, and China. Controlling the test centers in those countries is not only difficult, it seems nearly impossible. One thing I remember hearing a couple years ago was that Prometric never wanted to get into using their test centers for InfoTech, but they did it anyways because they knew that's where the money was gonna be. Well, in order to keep up with VUE, they needed to "open, open, open" and that's what they did. Many of the test centers they opened in the countries mentioned above were done with very little, if any, credentials. All you needed was two computers and an internet connection and you could open a test center, and that's what many people took advantage of. In the past couple years most of the "broom-closet" test centers have been shut down, but those that made it big are still in operation and it's going to be difficult to shut them down, let alone find out which centers they are. This is where I was leading to in a blog on the solution to the braindump problem. Permutations. To find out which test centers are leaking the exams, calulate which exams are going to which test centers, then when the braindumps are released the vendors would be able to tell (without a shadow of a doubt) which centers they came from.

Best Regards,