Who Has Banned Zoom? Google, NASA, and More
You probably know that Google has banned the use of Zoom due to potential cybersecurity issues, but you may be surprised to learn that other big companies have also banned it, including Facebook, IBM, and NASA! Why have these top-tier organizations taken this step? Find out the reasons behind the bans and why other companies should consider following their lead in this article about who has banned Zoom.
The US Department of Defense (DOD)
DOD is the only US federal agency to use Zoom for video conferencing. It has been a DOD partner since 2010 when it began using Zoom for video conferencing. In 2019, DOD started testing Skype for Business in an effort to find a cheaper alternative to Zoom. The Pentagon has also banned the use of all other video conferencing software such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Apple FaceTime. All these services have privacy concerns that DOD wants to avoid by banning them from military use.
The Air Force also recently banned Amazon’s Echo Show from its facilities because there are security risks with the device which can reveal sensitive information about users.
However, this doesn’t seem to be enough for Google employees who are still using Zoom. There are concerns about privacy with any service but this hasn’t stopped the tech giant from deploying it widely at offices around the world, including China, where there is increased suspicion of Western companies like Google or Microsoft over state censorship and spying allegations.
Many Government Agencies
Google has banned the use of the video conferencing platform Zoom at their headquarters in a bid to reduce email load. On top of this, NASA also took a step towards reducing email load by banning employees from using work-related emails for non-work purposes. Along with these two major organizations that have taken measures to cut down on email, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has also taken steps by implementing new software that will limit employees from sending more than 10 emails per day.
These policies have all been put into place as a way to combat increasing volume and workloads in the workplace. With companies like Google taking such drastic measures, it is only a matter of time before many other companies follow suit. And given how connected our society has become through digital devices, the number of emails being sent out each day is likely to continue to increase. And while there are some upsides to limiting email usage in the workplace, there are downsides too; especially when it comes to how productivity can be affected.
Many Healthcare Organizations
- More than 1,000 healthcare organizations in the United States are using ZOOM to communicate with patients.
- In addition to health care organizations, the US military is using ZOOM for its telemedicine needs.
- Numerous government agencies such as The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are also using ZOOM for their communication needs.
- The FDA has been using ZOOM since 2013 when they launched their mobile application.
- Zoom is a great solution for remote medical education courses because it allows students to interact with the lecture via video conferencing and can be used as an online distance learning tool. Zoom works best for live presentations, interviews or conferences that you want your audience to participate in by asking questions or offering feedback during the event. If you need an interactive presentation that will engage your audience, then this may be a good option for you.
- Zoom isn’t just limited to presentations either; they have many different types of software including collaboration tools and webinars. One other benefit of Zoom is that if you use your Gmail account as login credentials, then all meetings will automatically go into your calendar so you never miss another meeting again!
Many Universities
Google is the most recent company to restrict access to Zoom. In an email sent out on March 14th, 2019, it said that Zoom is blocked for security reasons.
NASA has also banned the app in order to avoid any degradation of service.
The University of Arizona has also banned the app because there are reports that university students have been engaging in cybercrime via Zoom. Some people say that banning the app may be a violation of free speech rights. However, when large institutions like these ban Zoom, they’re not doing it just for their own protection. They’re doing it for yours as well. It’s unfortunate, but this is a reality we need to face head-on.
Other Businesses
This year has seen an uptick in the number of bans on Zoom. In January 2019, The Telegraph reported that Google banned all video chat applications from its workplace. This was followed by a ban from the White House. Other companies to ban Zoom include NASA and the Department of Defense. The National Association for Music Education also outlawed the use of Zoom in its annual convention citing safety concerns due to the vulnerability of both staff and attendees. As more businesses join this growing list it is becoming clear that there are many reasons for banning Zoom. From data breaches to hackers, no one is safe with so many ways a video call can be compromised.
