On April 3, 2020, Ari Schwartz was quoted in LegalTech News regarding cybersecurity and privacy concerns with video conference platforms as they experience a surge in use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the article, legal professionals are finding that such technology has become a necessity. But with the greater use, some have found having confidential, highly sensitive discussions through a screen to be difficult.
The cybersecurity and privacy concerns with these video platforms, such as unauthorized sharing of user analytics and inadequate security measures, are not wholly unfounded. Video conference software companies have already been called out by regulators and the plaintiffs’ bar for multiple alleged security and privacy missteps.
To mitigate those cyber risks, law firms that are using video conference software must thoroughly vet the platform’s cybersecurity certifications and confirm that conversations aren’t accessible by third parties.
“They should make sure they are passing through encrypted channels and make sure it’s truly end-to-end,” said Schwartz. “I think [as] some providers talk about the security of what they’re providing, you need to have a technical expert to see if it’s truly encrypted end-to-end.”