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To Zoom or Not to Zoom – That is the Question

April 7, 2020

Zoom is currently in the media crosshairs as problems are discovered with its security and privacy practices. Should you be using Zoom given all the criticism? The opinions range from Zoom is no different than any other software application to avoid Zoom at all costs. The Hacker News has a good summary of the recent Zoom issues that have been exposed. As you run through the list, you will notice that several items have already been addressed. As an example, passwords are now required for all meetings. Attendee attention tracking has been disabled. Third party data transmission has stopped or been modified. In short, Zoom has made a lot of changes in the past several weeks.

From my foxhole, there are security issues with Zoom. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use Zoom. Zoom is easy to use and very stable. The key is knowing how to use Zoom and features to avoid. I would suggest not recording meetings and not sending file links in chat. Minimize screen sharing and minimize usage of Zoom's cloud. Not surprising that Microsoft is trying to take advantage of Zoom's problems and offering free usage of Skype's Meet Now. Give it a try if you want, but Skype has never been a stable platform for me. I'll stick with Zoom and be very conscious of controlling meeting features.

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