Many countries need to resort to video-calling in order to teach, work and perform certain tasks with people they cannot reach due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A video-conferencing app, in particular, Zoom, has become very popular to allow people to communicate with one another.
However, the app’s privacy issues have been under scrutiny in recent times. In effect, schools in New York have been told to use Microsoft Teams rather than the app to have online lessons. According to reports, the app has been banned due to their security issues.
What does the New York Department of Education Say?
In a memo that was issued by the NYC Department of Education (DOE), there was information that makes it seem that they no longer favour of Zoom’s usage. The guidance states that the school in New York have to move over to Teams as soon as possible.
As well as this, the DOE officials stated that Google’s platforms for video and audio conferencing with students are also safe enough to use. This is despite the fact they initially advised against it through a tweet. Many educators were unhappy with the sudden approval of Google after just stressing them with moving to Microsoft Teams.
As of now, there are no specific deadlines for schools to move over to Microsoft Teams. The DOE says that they’re working on a stress-free transition gradually. Some school representatives, on the other hand, are uncomfortable. They have stated that the change will be hard to implement for teachers and students. As well as this, it may even limit some students’ access to their remote education.
A spokesperson for NYC DOE, Danielle Filson, responded by stating that the department is training schools for the use of Microsoft Teams. They added that they will help students and teachers transition to the new platform.
The DOE has also said that they will continue monitoring the Zoom app. If the app is found to be secure enough again, then schools can transition back to the platform.
