How to Protect Yourself in the Age of Videoconferencing Calls

Suddenly, videoconferencing is everywhere. We use it for work, for school, for exercise, and to socialize during the coronavirus pandemic.

But there is a darker side, privacy experts say. The Silicon Valley videoconferencing app Zoom, in particular, is finding itself under scrutiny for data privacy and security concerns. The app—which reserves the right to store a user’s personal data—was downloaded 2.13 million times around the world on March 23,  (opens in a new tab) the day a lockdown was announced in the UK.

On Monday, the FBI’s Boston field office warned of a surge in “Zoom-bombing  (opens in a new tab),” the practice of unwanted guests intruding on video meetings for malicious purposes, after two schools were affected. On the same day, the office of New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, sent Zoom a letter  (opens in a new tab) asking what, if any, new security measures the company has put in place to handle increased traffic on its network and to detect hackers.

Getting “Zoom-Bombed”

My class just got zoom-bombed by a British teen. He didn’t do anything profane or inappropriate though, he was just chilling.

— Emily Lussier (@erlussier) March 31, 2020  (opens in a new tab)

Here are some tips to protect your next Zoom videoconferencing event, from Zoom  (opens in a new tab), the FBI  (opens in a new tab), and Consumer Reports  (opens in a new tab):

• Keep your Zoom app updated.
• Do not make meetings or classrooms public.
• Lock the meeting.  (opens in a new tab)
• Set up two-factor authentication.  (opens in a new tab)
• Turn screen-sharing options to “host only.”
• Learn how to remove unwanted participants.  (opens in a new tab)
• Keep your camera and microphone turned off unless you are actually speaking.
• Use a background provided by Zoom or use your own photo to safeguard your privacy.
• If you plan to record the call, require participants to click on a consent button before recording begins.
• Be aware that Zoom has an “attention tracking”  (opens in a new tab) feature to monitor whether a participant clicks away from the screen.

(sam thomas/iStock/Getty Images Plus)