Video Conferencing (Image: Shutterstock.com)Mishcon Moves to Bar Zoom Calls Unless Client Consents
Concerns have been raised over the security of the video conferencing service, which has soared in popularity during the coronavirus lockdown.
April 28, 2020 at 07:46 AM
3 minute read
Mishcon de Reya has told its lawyers to obtain written consent from clients in order to use Zoom for confidential conference calls.
The move, which comes amid growing concerns in some quarters about the platform's use, in response to perceived security concerns with the video-conferencing service, according to a person at the firm.
They added that the policy of written consent is one the firm is aiming to reach and not currently fully in place.
Other privacy measures have already been brought in to counter security concerns. According to a person at the firm, it has been company policy for over four weeks that all calls made using video conferencing services are password-protected.
The firm's current platform of choice for client calls is Microsoft Teams, according to Mishcon head of IT operations & security, Ned Stevanovski.
The news was first reported by Legal IT Insider.
The popularity of Zoom has grown exponetially over the last few months. The technology company recently announced its daily users had grown to 300 million, up from 10 miillion at the end of December last year.
However, the growth is users has also led to privacy and security concerns, for which Zoom CEO Eric Yuan apologised at the start of April.
Zoom has recently sought to upgrade its security in response to recent concerns, last week releasing the new version 5.0 of its app with enhanced encryption and privacy controls. This included new controls to prevent "Zoombombing" where people have hacked into meetings to disrupt them.
A number of lawyers have already cited new data privacy and cybersecurity risks that come with new remote-working environments, including GDPR compliance and storing of personal data.
In a statement, Zoom responded: "A large number of global institutions ranging from the world's largest financial services companies, to leading telecommunications providers, government agencies, universities, law firms, healthcare, telemedicine practices, have done exhaustive security reviews of our user, network and data center layers and confidently selected Zoom for complete deployment. We are proud to be helping these customers maintain business continuity in this challenging and unprecedented time."
One person with knowledge of the video conferencing sector added it was not surprising that law firms might seek written consent from clients to use the service as companies have to ensure their employees are using services authorised and purchased by their IT teams so they have control over what is being used and installed.
|Read more
Using Zoom? Not So Fast. The Dangers of Lawyers Working Remotely
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Christmas Mega-Deal Roundup: Direct Line, Wingstop and Foxtel Find Buyers
3 minute read
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1'Largest Retail Data Breach in History'? Hot Topic and Affiliated Brands Sued for Alleged Failure to Prevent Data Breach Linked to Snowflake Software
- 2Former President of New York State Bar, and the New York Bar Foundation, Dies As He Entered 70th Year as Attorney
- 3Legal Advocates in Uproar Upon Release of Footage Showing CO's Beat Black Inmate Before His Death
- 4Longtime Baker & Hostetler Partner, Former White House Counsel David Rivkin Dies at 68
- 5Court System Seeks Public Comment on E-Filing for Annual Report
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
