Frisco Orthodontist Warns Community About Growing Zoom Issue

Texas based mBrace Frisco Orthodontics is reaching out to the community to bring awareness to a growing security issue with Zoom classrooms for Frisco students. The start of the new school year has brought forth new challenges for both parents and teachers in the US, who have been struggling to adapt to the new normal of online classrooms. Even though e-learning protects students and their families from potential exposure to COVID-19, some parents are concerned that it could expose their children to a different kind of danger.

Parents have expressed concerns about their children's cyber-security and online privacy. These concerns have only been amplified after reports of unwanted visitors intruding Zoom classrooms began surfacing all over social media platforms. One such message stands out above others, as it narrates the official statement of a Frisco coach after his unfortunate encounter with what is now being called a ‘Zoombomber.’ This is perhaps one of the most prominent incidents involving a Zoom online platform, as both the Frisco police department and the FISD are now working together to track down the culprit.

The unfortunate intrusion occurred while a local coach was in the middle of a meeting with his athletes. While the coach does not give much detail about the incident, he states that the incident most likely happened because the Zoom classroom was not properly set up. Since the incident, he explains, he has updated his account settings to prevent such intrusions from happening again. Several additional precautions have been taken as well: only students using their FISD email and password are allowed to join any private classes from now on.

While the coach offers words of reassurance to his athletes and the community, the issue of Zoom intrusions is only being aggravated by the minute. The Dallas Morning News published an article back in April about this very problem, in which they explain that a simple Google search for Zoom brings out various reports of entire school districts that have banned the service due to security concerns involving these Zoombombers.

It is the raw scope of this problem that caught the attention of every orthodontist at the clinic. Shireen Irani of mBrace Frisco Orthodontics states, "We are very involved in our community's schools, and so we're always looking for ways to use our online following to help schools, teachers and parents by spreading awareness of issues or by helping promote a good cause."

According to local parents discussing the issue in local social media groups and posts, the threat posed by Zoombombers extends further than one would initially assume. For one, parents, teachers and all others who have a vested interest in maintaining an efficient online learning environment are perpetually uneasy given the fact that their classes may be interrupted at any time without warning. In turn, this makes it more difficult to adapt to online classes. For a teacher, knowing that an outsider can join their classroom at any moment can be an ongoing torment, especially considering that the intruder can even share their screen to the group and display anything they want (depending on the security settings of the meeting). This is the very scenario that plagues both parents and teachers alike.

While Zoom does include security measures to prevent incidents like this from happening, using these tools effectively can be a challenge. Options such as the use of passwords for meetings, and waiting rooms in which participants may only be allowed to enter upon the approval of a moderator, can go a long way toward protecting the privacy of these Zoom sessions. Depending on the number of students, however, these options can overwhelm a teacher who is trying to keep track of the attendees.

Other measures have been recommended by the FISD to ensure the safety of students. They have sent emails stating that no student will be accepted into the meeting without their full name on the Zoom account. Additionally, only Zoom accounts registered using the school's email will be allowed in order to prevent further inconveniences. All teachers and coaches need to follow those safety guidelines and only accept legitimate students.

More information on the subject is available in an article published by mBrace Frisco Orthodontics. Additional details regarding the clinic and their services be found on their website as well.