Archive for August 2023

Zoom ToS update as it pertains to AI features and .EDU customers

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Zoom recently updated its terms of service and released Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for some of its customers. These AI tools are currently not available to CSUCI or to any other Zoom customers on the .EDU tenant. This includes the features recently announced called Zoom IQ Meeting Summary and Zoom IQ Team Chat Compose.

Zoom has acknowledged that further evaluation of their AI features in educational spaces is needed before they can offer AI features to customers with .EDU accounts. While CSUCI Zoom account holders will not encounter AI features in the CSU Zoom environment, here are the new AI features within Zoom that campus users should be aware of in case they participate in any Zoom meetings that are hosted outside of the .EDU environment: 

  • Zoom IQ Meeting Summary: a new AI meeting feature on Zoom that listens to meetings and offers automated meeting summaries to select users with AI features enabled. 
  • Zoom IQ Team Chat Compose: a new AI-powered chat tool that composes messages for users within the Zoom chat space.  
  • When a user enters a meeting with AI enabled, a pop-up message will appear upon joining the meeting, similar to the notification that a user sees when they enter a meeting that is being recorded, informing the meeting participant that AI is in use to create a “Meeting Summary”.

Individual users have the ability to enable or disable the AI features on their own personal Zoom accounts. If a CSU user joins a Zoom meeting that is hosted outside of a .EDU environment with AI enabled and they are uncomfortable with that, they can request that the host disable AI for the meeting. Regardless of whether AI features are enabled, you should NEVER share personal, confidential, or privileged information with users who are not affiliated with the CSU via Zoom chat or during meetings. 

Zoom’s updated terms of service will not impact how Zoom is typically utilized at CSUCI.


October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month!

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October 2023 marks the 20th Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM).

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

The focus of this year’s CMAM is on four key behaviors:

 

1.    Turning on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Having a strong password is not good enough; using MFA can increase your ability to prevent scammers from getting access to your accounts. MFA is available from Apple, Google, Microsoft, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other companies. To look for what companies offer MFA try using https://2fa.directory/us/  


2.    Using strong passwords and a password manager. It is difficult to remember different passwords for various applications, websites, and services, especially when they are complex. Having a good password manager can help keep your password organized.


3.    Updating software regularly. Your software on your phone, computer, and even your car needs regular updates. Not only do you get new features, but a lot of security fixes and enhancements are incorporated into the updates.


4.    Recognizing and reporting phishing. Take a moment and read the email. Who is the email address that sent the email? Never click on a link in the email; always go to the site by typing the address manually. For more tips on avoiding scams, the FTC has several more examples: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam.

 

Bell Tower Classroom Upgrades

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Information Technology Services in partnership with Academic Affairs has upgraded 15 of the most used classrooms in the Bell Tower to provide a completely refreshed technology package. These new spaces include hybrid technology with a room camera and microphone to allow for added flexibility and a better experience for our remote students.

 


These classrooms conform to the latest A/V technology standards and were developed in coordination with internal and external campus stakeholders. Student MSFT (Materials, Services, Facilities, and Technology) fee funds were used for this upgrade which represents the largest non-new construction classroom upgrade in our campus’s history. This installation and integration were professionally done and completed on schedule. We are happy to report that initial feedback from faculty who have used the new technology has been very favorable. We look forward to seeing this new technology advance the mission of CSU Channel Islands.