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 not possible, but they also pose a significant information security and data protection risk when not used responsibly. Some steps for reducing these risks include:
Familiarizing yourself with your organization's approved online conferencing tools, their features and settings
Using only online conferencing tools that are approved, configured and verified as secure by your organization
Using a unique access code so that only those with the code for that meeting can access the room, particularly when a sensitive topic is being discussed
Monitoring the dashboard of participants to ensure no uninvited parties are attending throughout the call
For more information and additional recommendations, see this tip sheet developed by the ICRC, IFRC and the Centre for Humanitarian Data on the responsible use of online conferencing tools