The Zoom app has been used to host virtual classes, fitness sessions, and even dates. (Image credit: Bloomberg)
Zoom has grabbed the maximum eyeballs during this coronavirus pandemic. Literally everyone is using the video conferencing platform right now. Some manage a team remotely on Zoom, others use the video chat platform to attend virtual classes at home. No wonder, even weddings are taking place on Zoom video calls. That explains why Zoom was the most downloaded app on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store for April.
Sure, Zoom has made video conferencing easy and accessible to millions. But the company has also faced criticism over a lack of privacy in its video conferencing app, sending user data to Facebook, the lack of end-to-end encryption of its chat sessions, and rising incidents of “Zoombombing” where uninvited guests crash meetings.
Interview: Zoom India head addresses privacy and security concerns around the video chat app
The severe backlash from the governments and security researchers forced Zoom to release a new version of its app, Zoom 5.0, that includes upgraded encryption and privacy controls as part of a 90-day plan to improve security and privacy on the video chat platform.
To make your Zoom meetings safe and secure, Zoom’s India head and General Manager Sameer Raje, has some tips.
#1. Do not share your personal meeting ids
“Please, do not use your personal meeting IDs,” he says. “ When you set a meeting, always use random generated meeting IDs.”
#2. Create strong passwords
Raje advises users to make complex passwords when setting up a meeting. “Every meeting has to have a different password,” he says. Raje says the best way to secure your Zoom meetings is to change your passwords frequently and not have common usernames and passwords.
#3. Be more conscious on social media
“Be conscious of what information about the meeting you’re sharing on social media. If you’re going to put the meeting ID and the password on the social media, you’re basically giving your address as well as giving the key to people to walk into your room,” he says.
#4. Use waiting rooms
Raje encourages all hosts to use the waiting room feature to cut down on unwanted participants. With the Zoom 5.0 update, Zoom meetings will have the waiting room feature enabled by default. That means hosts will have to manually allow guests to enter the meeting, preventing issues like “Zoombombing” where uninvited users join a public Zoom meeting.
Zoom was the most downloaded app on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store for April. (Image credit: Bloomberg)
Apart from the best practices that need to be followed while using the video conferencing platform, Raje says Zoom is doing its best to coach, guide, and educate users to stay safe in the virtual world. “We are reaching out to as many schools as possible,” Raje told indianexpress.com in an interview. “We are having online recorded training sessions. We are sharing these URLs with the school authorities as well as with students and ensuring that they go through this and know the basics of how to protect themselves and what are the best practices of using zoom. We are doing this quite proactively and coaching and guiding all this to a new set of users who are coming on board.”