Tip Sheet on the Responsible Use of Online Conferencing Tools

Publication language
English
Pages
4
Date published
16 Apr 2020
Type
Guidance
Keywords
Data protection / Responsible data management, Data security
Organisations
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Centre for Humanitarian Data

Recent changes to working conditions have increased the use of online conferencing tools throughout the humanitarian sector. These conferencing technologies are invaluable when face-to-face meetings are impossible, but they also pose a significant information security and data protection risk when not used responsibly. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Data Protection Office, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Centre for Humanitarian Data have developed this tip sheet to support the responsible use of online conferencing tools by humanitarians around the world.

This tip sheet offers:

  • an overview of the risks associated with online conferencing, including unauthorized access to meeting rooms/calls, breaches of confidentiality and data protection, third party retention of conferencing data, and malware or social engineering attacks
  • recommendations to mitigate those risks to help you protect yourself and your organization, maintain security for online conference calls that you initiate, and maintain security for online conferences initiated by persons outside your organization
  • a set of resources for further reading.