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
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×