Skype and other 'social' connections?

Thanks for that. I'll show Mrs Nod. Not sure how much more vulnerable it makes webcams - I keep a bit of black tape over mine when not in use anyway!
 
Most likely issue seems to be 'Zoom-bombing' where no password is set and unwanted visitors can join the session.
 
It's all done via invite only and Mrs Nod (apparently at least!) then admits the invitees as they "arrive". Not quite as much a security risk as BJ anyway!
 
Nod said:
She's got one of THESE on its way. Anything will be better than the almost inaudible instructions that the built in mic on the lappy gave!
Click to expand...

Looks perfect. BT 5 will probably work far better than whatever I have in mine.

Kit like that is getting in short supply. I was "forced" to get a rather nice gaming headset so I can keep up with Skype calls. Coincidentally, it's playing me a bit of Springsteen ATM just so I have it handy.
 
mused said:
Read on tech websites, zoom is facing security issues better to avoid it.
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There's a lot of finger pointing going on - but it really does seem anything else on the market ATM. I'm looking at you "Teams"...….
 
I used zoom last week for a virtual pub quiz with some friends and it worked well. Shame about the security issues that have been flagged.
 
Nod said:
It's all done via invite only and Mrs Nod (apparently at least!) then admits the invitees as they "arrive". Not quite as much a security risk as BJ anyway!
Click to expand...

She's also got a waiting room set up and as of next week (last classes for this week are shortly so not enough time to communicate with all her clients individually) she'll be telling the participants the individual class passwords so the brute force guessers (it's only a 9 digit code for the current password/PIN) will find it harder to be disruptive, especially since all participants will be muted for the duration of the classes.

Any further suggestions as to how the set up can be improved are welcome. As long as they're as technical as a wooden spoon!!!
 
Just to update this I, or should I say we, have WhatsApp installed and is working aok both for SWMBO and her family group and my testing video chat with my brother.
 
sirch said:
......

That said WhatsApp seems to be what most people use
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When I looked in the Google play store before installing it, I noted that the info showed >5bn downloaded and 108m reviews!!!!!
 
sirch said:
Some concerns over zoom
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...ology-security-coronavirus-video-conferencing

has anyone mentioned discord - https://discordapp.com/

It's mainly used by gamers but doesn't have to be and has loads of functionality.

That said WhatsApp seems to be what most people use
Click to expand...

Meanwhile all the cool kids are on Slack and the suits are using Teams :)

I think Zoom is getting a lot of traction because it emphasises features and usability over security - and for most people that's probably fine. You might not want script kiddies lurking invisibly at the back of a yoga class but it's not like they will do any real damage. Even the excitingly named "Zoom bombing" is essentially the same as somebody walking past a class and yelling abuse - alarming, upsetting and hurtful but not actually dangerous.

It's when people start using Zoom for cabinet meetings that you need to start thinking about security.
 
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Zoom bombing has been eliminated as a problem during the classes - as hostess, Mrs Nod can "Mute" all other participants so there's no disturbance to the class when students fart etc. (and yes, that does happen quite a bit!) - the chat facility allows individuals to ask questions but since they're all known quantities, they just get on with it and chat afterwards.
I can see that there might be security implications for some applications/users of Zoom (and all the other options) but they're pretty much ignorable in Mrs Nod's use. Since there are a good few people who are getting freebies at the moment (NHS workers and other front liners don't have to pay her ATM, although some are insisting to help her weather the storm [which is HUGELY appreciated]) a couple of people nicking a class invisibly (if that's possible) aren't going to make much difference.
 
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