This article was published in 2020. Laws, case law and regulatory guidance may have changed since then. Contact us for up to date advice.
Several Dutch universities are banning the use of Zoom because of privacy risks. Some universities are restricting its use rather than banning it outright. Because of the coronavirus, no physical teaching is taking place any more. Instead, universities are opting for remote teaching and assessment. However, for several universities the use of Zoom is not an option. This is according to reporting by Security.nl. Below is an overview of the position of various Dutch universities on the use of Zoom.
Leiden University
“Leiden University does not permit the use of Zoom. The reason is that, from a privacy perspective, there are risks that are currently being investigated. Zoom sells or shares personal data with third parties. The Attendee Attention Tracking feature offered by the app is also risky,” according to Leiden University. Instead of Zoom, the university recommends using Kaltura LiveRoom and Microsoft Teams.
Eindhoven University of Technology
Eindhoven University of Technology has also banned Zoom, as we read on the Security.nl website. “Zoom was a popular choice. The Executive Board prohibits its use for administering examinations and strongly advises against using it for other purposes. This is due to concerns about data breaches, privacy and non-compliance with GDPR guidelines,” reports Cursor, the university’s online magazine.
On its own website, the university also warns of Zoom’s “serious security and privacy flaws”, which could lead to data breaches. “Zoom’s current flaws pose too great a risk to the university. On the one hand for the protection of our personal data, and on the other for the security of our infrastructure. We therefore do not support the use of the tool on our campus.”
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen states that it does not have a campus licence for Zoom, which is why the application is not supported. “There are also privacy issues with this application, which is why the privacy lawyers of the Dutch universities advise against its use,” the university reports.
Utrecht University
Utrecht University states that Zoom will only be used very occasionally for teaching in the coming weeks. UU: “It is therefore quite likely that you will no longer follow any teaching in Zoom at all and that all teaching will be offered in MS Teams. Zoom is a videoconferencing tool that is widely used around the world and has caused a great deal of commotion regarding privacy and information security.” The university has also drawn up guidelines to limit the privacy risks of using Zoom.
Tilburg University
Tilburg University still works with Zoom, but has disabled certain features for staff and students. The aim is to ensure the software is used securely. The university also advises using Zoom only for public meetings. The University of Amsterdam (UvA) gives similar advice. At the same time, the UvA has launched a more extensive investigation into the privacy and security of Zoom. Further measures may follow on the basis of that investigation (pdf).