Issue:
Some students have expressed worries over security issues that may arise from Zoom, an online videotelephony provider currently utilized by the University.
Clarification:
On Zoom's security concern
Recent news has revealed many privacy and security faults with the Zoom platform and we understand many students and faculty may have concerns when using Zoom. Some also suggested that we should switch to other platforms. These concerns are shared by the University, which treats privacy and security as a top priority.
An internal announcement was issued on April 29, 2020 to highlight measures the University has taken to mitigate these risks. This includes the adoption of Single-Sign-On (SSO) using ITSC account with Two Factor Authentication, and adjusting the global and default settings in Zoom for all University members that allow only ITSC authenticated users can join meetings and others.
Based on the current privacy and security concerns known to the public, the bug fixes and improvements Zoom has included in their recent software updates, the default global settings the University sets for members at HKUST, and the nature of our Zoom classes and their required confidentiality, the University believes that, when utilized accordingly, the major privacy and security concerns of using Zoom for classes have been addressed.
An FAQ page has been created to outlines ways by which Zoom users may address the privacy and security issues when in class. An online form for members to raise their concerns and questions not covered by the FAQ is set up and can be found on the FAQ page so that the University can continue to respond to queries and publish its findings if necessary.
The University is also proactively sourcing alternative software programs to use in place of Zoom. Currently, the University has a site license for Microsoft Teams, an alternative to Zoom, making it available to all members of the University community. However, Teams lacks many features available on Zoom used to facilitate teaching and learning. Until Microsoft is able to update and improve Teams, only a limited number of classes can use Teams to replace Zoom. |