Upcoming changes to Zoom security requirements

To enhance the security of Zoom meetings, at the end of Fall 2021 semester, passcodes will be required for all new meetings (current meetings, including recurring scheduled meetings, will be exempt from this requirement). At the end of Spring 2022 semester, all meetings (including recurring meetings previously excluded from the password requirement) will be required to be secured with one of the following security options: a passcode or a Waiting Room,". If no security option is enabled, Zoom will secure all meetings with Waiting Room.

The host and co-host in a meeting can quickly check which security features are currently in effect for the meeting they are hosting, helping to protect your meetings. This information is accessible through the in-meeting encryption shield, located in the top-left corner of the meeting.

Additional tips to keep your meetings secure

Zoom has released guidance for protecting yourself from uninvited guests to your Zoom meetings (also known as Zoom-bombing). They are continuing to update their documents and release additional suggestions to help protect you. Here are the top tips. Any one of these will help:

1.      Avoid hosting large meetings or ‘public’ events using your Personal Meeting ID (PMI). Your PMI is basically one continuous meeting and you don't want unwanted guests invading your personal virtual space. Instead, make individual meetings.

2.    Enable a waiting room for Guest participants only. Add a custom waiting room description instructing HSU users to log in to join: “If you have an @humboldt.edu account, please go to https://humboldtstate.zoom.us to log in to this meeting or wait for the host to admit you into the meeting.” You’ll need to edit existing meetings (including your Personal Meeting if you use it) to enable waiting room. Any future created meetings will have it by default.

2a.  Make a habit of logging into the Zoom Desktop Client at the beginning of your work week (for your convenience, you will now stay logged in for 6 days). 

3.    Require a passcode to join your meeting. You can require a passcode for any meeting when you schedule it and/or as a default for all personal ID meetings. Just sign into Zoom and click on Meetings and the Personal Meeting Room to access the passcode setting.

4.    Manage screen sharing: Screen sharing can be a wonderful collaborative tool. However, for a public session, you don’t want random people taking control of the screen and sharing unwanted content with the group. You can restrict this — before the meeting and during the meeting in the host control bar — so that you’re the only one who can screen share. If you disable screen sharing, the Whiteboard setting will be automatically disabled as well. To prevent participants from screen sharing during a meeting, using the host controls at the bottom, click the arrow next to “Share Screen” and then go to “Advanced Sharing Options.” Under “Who can share?” choose “Only Host” and close the window. You can also toggle sharing privileges under the Security icon in your window or change the default sharing option in your Zoom settings.

5.     Turn off annotation:  Annotation can be a useful collaboration tool, allowing you and your attendees to doodle and mark up content together during a screen share. During a public meeting you may want to disable the annotation feature in your Zoom settings to prevent people from writing all over the screens.

6.     If you find yourself with a disruptive participant in your meeting, you can remove them. Click on Participants at the bottom of your Zoom window then select More and Remove for the participant that you want to eject from the meeting.

Add preferred pronouns to your Zoom profile

The ability to add and share your preferred pronouns to your Zoom profile has been enabled. When you add pronouns to your profile, they are visible to your Zoom contacts as part of your Zoom profile card in the Zoom desktop client and mobile app. You can also choose when or if your pronouns are shown during a meeting that you host or join, or webinar that you are the host or panelist for. Webinar attendees’ pronouns are never visible. At any point during a meeting or webinar, you can choose if you want to share or unshare your pronouns.

Auto-generated captions (also known as live transcription) recommended

We recommend that the auto-generated captions (also known as live transcription) available in Zoom be turned on by the host for all meetings. Auto-generated captions automatically provide speaker subtitles on a Zoom video meeting or webinar. When you host a meeting you need to turn it on for each meeting. Only the host can turn this on (not co-hosts) and any participant can view the captioning as needed. Participants can still privately request (including anonymously) that the meeting host enable live transcription during the session using the meeting toolbar. Only English is supported at this time, and for the best results, the speaker must speak clearly. Live transcription is currently not supported in breakout rooms. 

Auto-generated captions can be a valuable tool for Universal Design.  Many people benefit from captioning who may not have documented disability including:  individuals for whom English is not their first language, situations where background noise is present, situations where the volume and clarity of the speaker’s voice is not optimal, and if the speaker has a heavy accent. We encourage you to use transcription when appropriate outside of disability accommodations.

Important legal reminder: Auto-generated captions (live transcription) are NOT a substitute for professional real-time captioning services for individuals with disabilities.  Students will need to request real-time captioning from the Student Disability Resource Center.  Faculty and staff wishing to request real-time captioning for events should contact Human Resources for more information. 

Note: Only one participant can be assigned to type closed captions in a meeting; therefore, it is only possible to have one breakout session with real-time closed captioning. Both the real-time captioner and person who requested real-time captioning will need to be in the same breakout room.

Zoom has many other tips for hosting more accessible meetings as well as accessibility features for both hosts and participants.