TORONTO -- Canada's electronic surveillance agency says virtual sittings by MPs held via video conferencing app Zoom are in line with its security recommendations despite previous privacy concerns with the app.
Members of Parliament met for the first time virtually Tuesday during the all-party special committee on COVID-19. These virtual sittings will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, until at least May 25, as parliamentarians find new ways to maintain accountability while physical distancing.
Though the virtual meetings are being hosted on Zoom, House of Commons administration officials have specified that they are not using the consumer version of the app that faced widespread scrutiny for its security practices.
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, a spokesperson for the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) says officials have taken additional security measures in an effort to convene the online meetings, including “employing options like the waiting room to prevent unintended interruptions.”
In early April, Canadian cybersecurity researchers with the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab discouraged government bodies from using the video conferencing app, warning that the app’s security measures are not designed for sensitive conversations.
However, MPs will not be discussing sensitive government information during the sittings, which are public by nature.
“Parliamentary proceedings are, by their nature, open to the public and confidentiality is not a requirement,” read the statement.
“The Cyber Centre has a long-standing partnership with the House of Commons IT, including working to support virtual sittings and committee meetings. The Cyber Centre is proud to be supporting open parliamentary proceedings at an unprecedented time in Canada.”
Citizen Lab did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the government’s use of Zoom.
The internet watchdog group’s report, published in early April, highlighted concerns about the app’s encryption techniques and security issues surrounding the way the company stores cryptographic information.
Over the last month, Zoom has frozen new feature development to shift all of its engineering resources to working on security and safety issues.
On Monday, the company announced an update to its consumer-level product, Zoom 5.0, including what it says are its most advanced security enhancements to date, including stronger encryption.
- With files from Rachel Aiello
