Across the world, educators and students alike have been abruptly thrown into new online class situations as schools and universities close in an effort to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. A large portion of educators have been using the video conferencing platform Zoom to hold online lessons and classes. However, Zoom and the alternative options are riddled with security and operational issues. Zoom’s popularity has caused it to face the brunt of criticism.
The platform is currently used by 90,000 schools across 20 countries. The FBI has recently released a notice about Zoom’s security issues as well as addressing the new term “Zoom-bombing,” in which individuals join a lesson or meeting and disrupt them with pornographic or hate images and threatening language. On April 3, the New York City Department of Education banned the use of Zoom, stating in an internal memo that teachers were not allowed to use the platform. The country has the biggest public education system in the country, serving 1.1 million students. The decision has been met with criticism from security experts, who claim that all platforms will host different security issues.
Read More: Experts question abrupt decision by New York City to ban Zoom from use in all public schools
