Starting May 26^th, Zoom automatically generates a password for all new Zoom meetings as well as Personal Meeting Rooms.

This includes:

• Any time you select Schedule a New Meeting (whether it be through the Zoom portal, client, Outlook plugin, or Blackboard Learn).
• Any time you choose Host a Meeting to start a non-scheduled, “instant” meeting.
• Any time you use your Personal Meeting Room^*.

Although it may sound alarming, these passwords are actually quite seamless. Zoom automatically encrypts the password and includes it in the Zoom Invite Link for attendees or, if you are using the Blackboard integration, through the Zoom Blackboard Learn link.

^* If you use your Personal Meeting Room, please consider sending a new invite to attendees.

In addition to our phone support and support portal, we’ve added a Zoom Lobby during our business hours.

You can join the Zoom Lobby and be connected with an ITSS technician to assist you with technical issues.

Last week, Zoom released an important update to help make meetings more private and secure.

Please update to the latest version of Zoom.

• For computers that are managed by ITSS, the latest version should be installed automatically.
• If you installed Zoom yourself, you can download the latest version.

The most noticeable change for meeting hosts is a new “Security” icon in Zoom meeting controls, which gives hosts easy control over essential meeting controls, including waiting rooms. Starting April 20^th, waiting rooms will be on by default for all new meetings.

The new Security icon gives hosts and co-hosts an all-in-one place to quickly:

• Lock the meeting
• Enable the Waiting Room (even if it’s not already enabled)
• Remove participants
• Restrict participants’ ability to:
  • Share their screens
  • Chat in a meeting
  • Rename themselves
  • Annotate on the host’s shared content

The Security icon replaces the Invite button in the meeting controls. The Invite button has been moved to the Participants panel, and hosts can add additional guests there.

More information: Zoom published a video tour of the new security toolbar icon.

There have been a couple changes to the default Zoom settings:

1. Consent to be Recorded – Participants entering a Zoom session that is being recorded will see a pop up that says “Consent to Record.” The notification asks participants to select either to continue or to leave the meeting. More information at https://www.csuchico.edu/calendar/detail/2020-03/20-03-30-attention-zoom-users-consent-to-be-recorded.shtml
2. Host Only Screen Sharing – On March 26, 2020, Zoom released an update to the default screen sharing settings for Education accounts, in an effort to increase security and privacy for meetings. This update changed the default sharing setting to “Host Only” at the account level. This setting gives hosts the sole permission to share content within their meetings by default.Hosts still have the ability to allow participants to share their screen during a meeting and edit their default settings to allow participants to share in all meetings. More information at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360041591671-March-2020-Update-to-sharing-settings-for-Education-accounts