The New York City Department of Education is banning students and teachers from using Zoom, as the platform has been plagued by privacy and security issues.
Schools are now advised to switch to Microsoft Teams ‘as soon as possible’ and teachers are currently training to use the new system.
The move comes after internet trolls are ‘zoombombing’ calls with pornographic and racist content.
Students and teachers began using Zoom just a few weeks ago to transition to remote learning, as New York is under lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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The New York City Department of Education is banning students and teachers from using Zoom, as the platform has been plagued by privacy and security issues. Schools are now advice to switch to Microsoft Teams ‘as soon as possible’ and teachers are currently training to use the new system
New York City has been deemed the ‘epicenter’ of the coronavirus with over 122,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths reported.
And schools are now using online tools to teach students while they self-isolate at home.
Officials from New York City’s Department of Education note that there has been numerous reports of security breaches while using Zoom, which includes outsiders joining chats without permission.
‘Providing a safe and secure remote learning experience for our students is essential, and upon further review of security concerns, schools should move away from using Zoom as soon as possible, a spokesperson for the department said, according to memo obtained by Chalkbeat.
New York City schools just started using Zoom on March 16 and moved over a million students to remote learning a week later, but with the security issues plaguing the platform officials now think the best move is to seek a different service
‘There are many new components to remote learning, and we are making real-time decisions in the best interest of our staff and student,’
A specific timeline for when schools will stop using Zoom has not been revealed, but Chancellor Richard Carranza said: ‘We want people to gradually transition to another format,’ he said at a Sunday press conference.
‘We’re going to do this in a thoughtful manner.’
New York City schools just started using Zoom on March 16 and moved over a million students to remote learning a week later, but with the security issues plaguing the platform officials now think the best move is to seek a different service.
SpaceX has already banned staff from using the platform in an email dated March 28.
We understand that many of us were using this tool for conferences and meeting support,’ SpaceX said in the message.
‘Please use email, text or phone as alternate means of communication.’
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston office issued a warning about Zoom last week, telling users not to make meetings on the site public or share links widely after it received two reports of unidentified individuals invading school sessions, a phenomenon known as ‘Zoombombing.’
Internet trolls are Zoombombing calls by displaying pornographic and racists content while users hold work conferences, online teaching sessions and even alcohol anonymous meetings – leaving many to wonder just how secure the service is.
However, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan spoke with Good Morning America last week to assure the public that privacy is of upmost importance to the firm and revealed features that will keep internet trolls at bay.
Yuan explained that users can create passwords for meetings, waiting rooms and lockdown each session in order to keep their calls safe.
Digital break-ins on Zoom meetings are taking place across the US as much of country is placed on lockdown and forced to resort to online video conferences to communicate to limit the spread of the coronavirus – more than 245 million Americans are either self-isolating or mandated to stay home.
However, all these internet trolls have to do is search the internet for links to video conferences and enter the calls to launch their sneering harassment.
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan (pictured) assured the public that privacy is of upmost importance to the firm and revealed features that will keep internet trolls at bay. Yuan explained that users can create passwords for meetings, waiting rooms and lockdown each session
‘There are things we can do every day to protect ourselves while using the platform,’ he said.
You need to understand the secure feature of about how to use Zoom.’
Those features include creating a password for each meeting, so only those attending can enter.
Users can also establish a waiting room for the group, allowing them to welcome in specific people and keep track of who is attending.
And for added safety, meetings can be lockdown once everyone is inside.
