Data protection in video conferences

Data protection in video conferences

In the last two years, the number of video conferences has increased significantly. This raises the question of what data protection looks like for these videoconferences. Many people work in the home office and therefore use a corresponding video conference system via the Internet to connect. The numbers continue to rise as far as this development is concerned. A video conference is a good alternative to a face-to-face meeting.

A look at data protection is important insofar as these online video conferencing systems will continue to be popular in the future. To this end, companies will also receive appropriate guidance. It is important to choose the right system or the right service and provider when it comes to the requirements of the general data protection regulation.

Therefore, it is necessary for organizations, authorities and companies to implement certain technical and organizational measures. A checklist for the technical and legal requirements is therefore useful.

Ambiguity among companies and users

On the part of the users and responsible persons, there have been very frequent uncertainties in this context in recent months. It is usually the case in such a video conference that the person also discloses personal data, which may then be processed by third parties. This also includes, for example, image and sound data. A legal basis is required in this regard.

Working in the home office

In the home office, video conferences are often used as a service. There are various providers and suppliers for this. These providers can also access the data. The person responsible is obliged to minimize data according to the requirements of the GDPR. Therefore, only personal data that is required for the purpose may be processed.

The most important questions for the company

Last year, for example, the popular provider Zoom also had to deal with many security vulnerabilities. This even made it possible for criminals to take over entire meetings in the background, and in some cases questionable content was even fed into the conferences. It is therefore important for companies to ask themselves the following questions before using a video conferencing tool:

· What basic requirements should the video conferencing system meet?

· What measures must be taken by the company to guarantee these privacy-compliant online video conferences?

· What are the functionalities to look for in video conferencing providers?

Prefer European suppliers

In principle, every company in Europe is advised to use a European provider and to avoid US or Asian companies when it comes to the selection and range of services. Personal data should only be collected to the extent that is really necessary. This applies entirely in the sense of the defined data minimization.

In the context of the additional functions, it is therefore important to highlight the following:

·       Video meeting recordings
·       Use access restrictions
·       Dealing with trekking information

Swiss WhatsApp alternative TeleGuard offers absolute security and encryption as a messenger. But not only as a messenger, but also with the new call and video call function.