Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Zoom

US Professors Concerned Over Using Zoom to Teach on China; But Why?

Popular video conferencing platform Zoom has been receiving backlashes for complying with Chinese government's demands

The video conferencing platform Zoom's popularity surged during the Coronavirus pandemic as people from all over the world used it to study, gossip, consult doctors and create virtual events as the world crawled into a lockdown state.

But, despite all the good things that it has brought in, Zoom made headlines for all the wrong reasons when the U.S.-based company admitted to censoring calls at China's behest. Now, students and professors around the world, including the U.S., are worried if they should continue using the platform to study and teach courses on China.

On June 12, Zoom admitted to suspending accounts of users even in the U.S., who attended virtual meeting to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre to comply with China's "local law". But that now has a ripple effect on its user base as students and teachers are worried that they would be targeted by the Chinese Communist Party-led government if the content is critical of CCP as the platform captures users' IP addresses, faces, voices and geo-location. But Zoom said that "only minimal information is collected and, unless a meeting is recorded by the host, the video, audio, and chat content is not stored."

Risky Situation


Professor James Millward, who teaches Chinese history at the University of Georgetown, believes his students, even if they are apolitical of the CCP's regime, can draw scrutiny.

"Note that the recent account cancellations were based on knowledge of who the hosts of the meetings were," said Millward in an open letter warning his peers in other universities. "My students, even though they are not political or even if they are strong supporters of the Chinese Communist Party — could get in trouble by association with me."

Assistant professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, Aynne Kokas, felt that Zoom is "allowing for local censorship to take precedence over academic freedom." She believes that any lesson can "turn sensitive to the Chinese government" and conducting classes on the platform would put the Chinese students in a "risky situation" as the lessons might involve "discussing a period of Chinese history that is perfectly fine to talk about in a U.S. classroom, but might be a very profoundly difficult thing for a student in China."

With the fall semester in the U.S. set to begin in August, Millward further warned that Chinese students who are studying in the U.S. universities but are stuck in China could be blocked from online classes that they have already paid to attend.


China heavily censor any criticism against the government and CCP


Troubled Times for Zoom


Despite its popularity, Zoom has received sharp criticism for its security flaws and giving a free hand to the law and enforcement officers. Although in recent updates, it has tried to fix such flaws, its own admission that calls and user data have been "mistakenly routed through China" may loom large.

The mistrust grew even larger when Zoom's Chinese-born CEO Eric Yuan said the company won't be offering end-to-end encryption to free users as it wanted to work with the law enforcement agencies even as police authorities in the U.S. cracked down on 'Black Lives Matter' protesters. However, Zoom had to backtrack on that statement.

In a recent blogpost, Zoom also said that it was 'sorry' and would not allow demands of CCP that might impact users outside its borders. However, in compliance with local authorities, Zoom will have to block access of users to the platform if a certain government deems some activity illegal.

"Zoom is developing technology over the next several days that will enable us to remove or block at the participant level based on geography. However, we will also be able to protect these conversations for participants outside of those borders where the activity is allowed," the statement added.


Online classes during the Coronavirus pandemic has gained popularity


No Alternate Option


In China, popular video conferencing platforms such as Google's Hangout, Meet, Duo and Facebook's WhatsApp, Messenger are blocked beside Line. Microsoft's Skype, in compliance with Chinese authorities, routes its calls through a local partner, meaning that all calls are monitored while its paid application, Teams, isn't available there.

The only two platforms that work in China are WeChat and Apple's FaceTime. While in a group FaceTime call, you can only add 32 people, WeChat is completely monitored leaving Zoom as the only option.

However, Millward called for a 'Plan B' and urged universities to be on multiple platforms. "We urgently need a Plan B — or multiple Plan Bs. There are other such platforms, both freely available and with more robust services through paid accounts. Our faculty and students need to have access to and get used to using one or more of those other than Zoom, at least for faculty teaching Chinese students and about China," he said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×