It has been brought to our attention that Folkestone & Hythe District Council have trialed Zoom – a video conferencing with real-time messaging and content platform – on a couple of occasions last week (30/03/20 – 03/04/20). One of these trials involved up to a dozen people. We understand Hythe Town Council and Sandgate Parish Council are also intent on using Zoom for their virtual meetings.
Some Cllrs have found the use of Zoom easier and simpler as councillors can click on a link and should be able to use it. However, simplicity over security is a deep concern and in the words of Arvind Narayanan, an associate computer science professor at Princeton University. “Let’s make this simple,” he said. “Zoom is malware.”
Kent County Council is, we understand, using Microsoft Teams and Folkestone Town Council are trialing Microsoft Teams which has built-in security, compliance, and management capabilities.
Back to Zoom. The week beginning Monday 30th March, FHDC trialed Zoom twice, the FBI announced it was investigating increased cases of video hijacking, also known as “Zoom-bombing”. This has lead security researchers to call Zoom “a privacy disaster” and “fundamentally corrupt” as allegations of the company mishandling user data snowball.
Zoom does NOT have end-to-end encryption, a system that secures communication so that it can only be read by the users involved. Zoom confirmed in a blogpost on Wednesday (1st April) that end-to-end encryption was not currently possible on the platform and apologized for the “confusion” it caused by “incorrectly” suggesting the opposite.
Security flaws affecting Zoom have been reported throughout 2019 and as recently as this week (30/03/20 – 03/04/20). In 2019, it was revealed Zoom had quietly installed a hidden web server on user devices that could allowthe user to be added to a call without their permission. And a bug discovered this week would enable hackers to take over a Zoom user’s Mac, including tapping into the webcam and hacking the microphone.
Zoom has what is known as an “attention tracking” feature. This allows a host to see if a user clicks away from a Zoom window for 30 seconds or more.
Workers using Zoom to attend virtual meetings while working from home could sue their employers if they object to how the web conference tool uses their personal information. Which means of course “There is a big risk an employee could ask for compensation.”
This feature would allow Council officers to check if Cllrs are really tuned into a work meeting or busy keeping their eye on community hub information.
What with all the known flows with Zoom it begs the question why our District, Town or Parish Councils wish to use it.
We believe it would be better for all councils to use Wire, which offers Video and audio conference calls. Of course there are other alternatives. Meanwhile we believe all councils should use one piece of software to make intergations simpler, if it be Microsoft Teams, just like KCC and Folkestone Town Council are using then so be it.
Good god! what are they playing at. Isn’t there anyone inside our councils who understand the leakage problems zoom have? Also how easily it can be hijacked.
Good call on Wire very good tool and integrates well with other software without leaking info. It’s what our company use and will continue to use
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Good god! what are they playing at. Isn’t there anyone inside our councils who understand the leakage problems zoom have? Also how easily it can be hijacked.
Good call on Wire very good tool and integrates well with other software without leaking info. It’s what our company use and will continue to use