NYC education department tells principals to stop using Zoom, citing privacy concerns

The New York City Department of Education advised principals not to use Zoom after privacy concerns about the platform accelerated last week, the department's chief operating officer said late Sunday in an email obtained by CNBC.

The department is now telling schools they should use services provided through Google or Microsoft to connect with students while schools are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The message comes after a group of at least three state attorneys general said they were probing the company for potential privacy violations. The Connecticut AG, who announced the probe, said he had been "zoombombed" during a forum about the Census, with hundreds of messages flooding the chat box with profanities.

"We know how hard you and your staff are working to make remote learning a reality for students and families, and appreciate the ways in which you're going above and beyond every day. We also know you share our concern for student safety," DOE COO Ursulina Ramirez said in the email. "That is why we want to clarify guidance and expectations around key elements of remote learning over the coming days, so you can use various online platforms safely and with peace of mind that privacy will be protected for all users — yourselves included."

The DOE is providing resources on how to switch operations from Zoom to Google and Microsoft services. Ramirez said the department is still talking with Zoom about its potential for the DOE to return to the platform in the future. Google has a video calling service called Hangouts, while Microsoft's app Teams is included for organizations that have Office 365 subscriptions.

"The safety and security of our staff and students is at the forefront of every decision we make around remote learning, and for that reason, we have asked schools to transition away from using Zoom as soon as possible," a New York DOE spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. "We know this transition won't happen overnight, and we are supporting our educators with traini... (Read more)

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