New York City bans use of Zoom in e-learning, switches to Microsoft Teams

New York: In yet another setback for popular video meeting app Zoom, New York City has banned its use for remote learning purposes in schools until further review and update due to security concerns.

The city’s Department of Education is transitioning schools to Microsoft Teams, which is believed to have the “same capabilities with appropriate security measures in place,” TechCrunch reported on Sunday.

“Providing a safe and secure remote learning experience for our students is essential, and upon further review of security concerns, schools should move away from using Zoom as soon as possible,” Danielle Filson, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education, was quoted as saying.

“There are many new components to remote learning, and we are making real-time decisions in the best interest of our staff and students,” Filson said.

After schools in the city closed on March 16, Zoom’s popularity as a tool enabling remote learning skyrocketed.

But the platform also started facing criticism as reports of “Zoombombing” and other privacy issues started surfacing from different parts of the country.

“Zoomraiding” or “Zoombombing” refers to a type of online harassment in which hate speech, pornography or other inappropriate content is suddenly flashed by disrupting a video call on Zoom.

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