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How to protect your privacy on video platforms

Last updated: Mar 30, 2023

The increased global emphasis on privacy and security will have a significant impact on video conferencing platforms and the industry as whole. Over the last few years, video has been pushed to the forefront of communication within and between organizations of all sizes. Chances are, if you’ve worked from home or regularly meet with clients, you have used one of the many offerings that exist today.

The purpose of video conferencing software is to help bring people from across the world together, face-to-face so they collaborate and share information with one another. While the many platform choices are convenient, inexpensive, and relatively easy to use there is always a risk. Whenever you use an application that interacts with people outside your office walls, you open the possibility of exposing private information. Video conferencing and most software solutions do a great job in helping protect you from the numerous cyber-attacks that occur daily but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions. Most cyber-attacks, phishing schemes and data breaches that occur while using video conferencing software can be avoided by taking a few precautions ahead of time.

You can decrease the possibility of becoming a victim by following some simple steps:

  1. Change your passwords often!
  2. Be aware of the data being requested when registering for software. Does the information being requested improve your experience or is it necessary for payment purposes?
  3. Read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use documents. If you’re not sure why they need the information they’ve asked for, it should be outlined there. If you’re still not clear, email them to ask.
  4. Find out where your data is being stored geographically. If it’s not located in the Privacy Policy, ask them.
  5. Use a password to protect meetings where the nature of the data is sensitive or proprietary.
  6. Enable the lobby feature. It’s nice to be able to skip a step when entering a meeting but that also removes a layer of verification for the host.
  7. Make sure that your software has security and encryption settings enabled.
  8. Use the browser version of the service whenever possible.
  9. Secure your files. Keep files containing sensitive information in an encrypted folder.
  10. Take a few minutes prior to your meeting to:
    a. Close applications and files you don’t need during your meeting.
    b. Copy any files you need into a temporary folder that can be easily accessed while in your meeting.
    c. Review the list of invitees to the meeting so you can be aware of the people joining.
  11. When possible, greet each participant as they enter the meeting. Aside from being courteous, it will help you identify anyone that shouldn’t be there.
  12. Discuss any concerns and questions you may have with your IT department.

How we’re different

Magnifi is a secure, fully customizable video solution that is strictly browser-based. The features and functionality were purpose-built to provide flexibility while maintaining a secure platform.

We never:

  • Ask for more data than we need
  • Track you across websites
  • Sell or share your data with anyone
  • Monitor your meetings

We always:

  • Provide a secure browser-based application
  • Host the application and data in North America
  • Provide you with the tools to help you keep your meetings secure
  • Allow you to customize the interface to match your brand

Video conferencing solutions are great tools to help you run and expand your business. Taking some precautionary steps to protect yourself and your data will make your experience using them secure and trouble-free. Perform your due diligence when selecting a video conferencing provider. Convenience and features are very important, but if the cost of tracking you across other websites, gaining access to information that’s not needed to provide the service or your data being shared with another organization or application, is it worth the risk?

Is your organization ready? Book a 30-minute consultation to discover how we can help you create amazing (and secure!) customer experiences with our video solutions.