RI Schools Continue to Use Zoom Despite NYC School Ban and Congressional Questions
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Officials in New York City Schools have banned the use of Zoom for remote teaching, citing security concerns with the video conferencing service.
Members of Congress are calling the company to answer questions and the CEO of the company has apologized for failing to address significant security issues. Despite the issues, Rhode Island schools -- and the largest district -- are continuing to use and promote Zoom and have issued no warning to families.
Zoom's security issues are well-documented as meetings can easily be hacked with indecent content. Last week, GoLocal reported that an online rally organized by Mayor Jorge Elorza was hacked and the n-word was posted.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn California, Berkeley High School officials have suspended use of the app after a "naked adult male using racial slurs" entered a classroom meeting that was reportedly password-protected, according to The Hill.
“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,” said Danielle Filson, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education. “There are many new components to remote learning, and we are making real-time decisions in the best interest of our staff and students.”
Rhode Island Continues to Use Zoom
“Rhode Island schools are using a number of online platforms for distance learning, including Zoom. We encourage districts and schools to follow privacy guidelines no matter the online platform they use. We continue to work with LEA leaders as they ensure the privacy of student data during distance learning," said Pete Janhunen, spokesperson for RIDE in a statement to GoLocal.
The New York Department of Education transitioned schools to Microsoft Teams, which the system’s spokesperson said has the “same capabilities with appropriate security measures in place.”
New York City schools have 1.1 million students in more than 1,800 schools across the city’s five boroughs. The decision to ban Zoom from schools was made in part by New York City’s Cyber Command, which launched in 2018 to help keep the city’s residents safe.
Singapore Schools Drop Platform
On Thursday, Singapore announced it was banning teachers from using Zoom, citing "very serious incidents" that have occurred on the platform that have cast doubt on the app's security. The education ministry highlighted instances of indecency and misuse by intruders disrupting online lessons, Reuters reported.
Providence Schools continues to use Zoom and they have not notified parents and students of the security issues.
“The Providence Public School District currently includes Zoom in its suite of online teaching tools. We are aware of security concerns with Zoom, which is why our information technology team has collaborated with our teaching and learning staff to adopt protocols that minimize any abuse of this online platform. We will continue to monitor the situation,” said Laura Hart of the Providence Public Schools.
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan was forced to apologize but zoom-bombing has continued despite efforts to correct security issues.
On Thursday, Massachusetts U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey sent a letter to Zoom demanding answers about security concerns.
The Senators' letter raises concerns about the platform's security and privacy practices and comes as schools across the country rapidly shift to remote education due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
"The platform is filling a critical need during the pandemic," the Senators wrote in their letter. "But precisely because Zoom's technology has become such an invaluable -- and in many cases, required -- tool for learning and keeping students connected to their school communities during this crisis, we are concerned by recent reports that the platform may not be adequately safeguarding users' data and privacy."
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