Is Zoom app safe for Government employees

As you know very well that due to covid-19 pandemic, all school, colleges, Institutions are closed and every thing is taken to be online and virtual meetings/ virtual teaching is taking place. In this situation all institutions whether private or government are doing their job through online  apps and so many apps are in the market and the one of the most used app is 'Zoom app'. For online instructions to teacher's training, and virtual meetings government employees are using this app. But is this Zoom app is safe for the Government employees. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an advisory that Zoom video conference is not a safe platform. The Cyber Coordination Centre (Cycord) of the MHA issued a set of guidelines for its safe usage by private individuals. This advisory states that the platform was not for use by government offices and officials, for official purposes. (Apr 16, 2020)

MHA advisory on secure use of ZOOM Meeting Platform

The document makes reference to earlier advisories of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team(Cert-In) and states that Zoom is not a safe platform. The guidelines have been issued to safeguard private individuals who would still like to use the platform for private purposes. The broad objective of this advisory is to prevent any unauthorized entry into a Zoom Conference Room and prevent the unauthorized participant to carry out malicious attacks on the terminals of other users in the conference.

      Moreover Google is issuing a ban on the use of the Zoom teleconferencing platform for employees. The company is citing security concerns with the app that have arisen since Zoom became one of the most popular services for free video chatting during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Apr 8, 2020)

     Besides this " Zoom is a not a safe platform," the Cyber Coordination Centre (CyCord) of ministry of home affairs said in a new 16-page advisory. The government's warning comes after India's nodal cyber security agency – Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-in) - had cautioned against the vulnerability of the app. (Apr 29, 2020)

Read the link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14uE1oOyqV2iz15Cv3efAtzB12QE6HNwd/view?usp=drivesdk

     In this time there is near about 32000 teachers who have their  virtual meetings/trainings on Zoom app by the Education Deptt., alone if we dont talk about other Deptts.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15A8vpdxxUg6QMiHikDeX_sOYhnlCVsIi/view?usp=drivesdk

 If the ministry of home affairs has issued guidelines that Zoom app is not safe for the Government employees because there are chances of leaking of your 'Private Data' through this app and Google has issued warning, then how Education Department is using this app. For full appraisal let's see how this app works. When you download this app, it wants to have access to your gallery, to your contacts and your email Id. But the most vulnerable part is that in case of Government employees when they use this app for official work, they have to to give access to their date of birth, email id besides the Gallary permission and contacts it means app has access to your storage means your privacy is not secured and all your files, documents, photographs can be accessed by this app. Moreover your date of birth and email ID is in their hand. So there is every chances of leaking of your privacy, your data your files, your documents. That's why Google, Ministry of Home Affairs MHA are issuing advisories/ warning to their employees for not using this app for official work.  In these days when even telecommunication giants, banks messages forbid about giving your email Id, private data to anyone because it may cause to the 'siphoning off 'your money. So it does not appeal to my senses that how the education department is forcing his employees for using this app for the official work and even doing training through this app thus risking all of their data and privacy concerns of these Government employees. So authorities might ponder  not to use this app for official purpose and even its my request to private individuals who are using this that they have to read this 16-page advisory before using it.