Despite the data protection ultimatum: FU Berlin wants to continue using Cisco Webex for the time being
The Freie Universität (FU) Berlin is sticking to the use of the video conference software Cisco Webex despite massive criticism from the data protection authority of the city-state. The university announced that the provisional state data protection officer, Volker Brozio, was offered a discussion about the use of the system in mid-September: The Free University was “interested in continuing a constructive dialogue” on this matter.
Brozio had previously requested the university in a letter dated August 3 to “completely terminate the Cisco Webex services previously used by September 30 and to confirm this to us in writing”. The result that has already been communicated remains that the supervisory authority currently sees no possibility of legally compliant operation of the US group’s video conference system.
Should the FU nevertheless wish to continue using Webex, according to Brozio, it must fully demonstrate “the lawfulness of the associated processing of personal data” in accordance with Article 5. This involves, for example, compliance with principles such as purpose limitation, data minimization, requested deletion and correction, and storage limitation. The supervisory authority will examine the initiation of “formal proceedings to prohibit further use of the cloud version of Cisco Webex”.
AStA calls for switching to Jitsi or BBB
The AStA FU received Brozio’s letter in response to a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act (IFG). publishes it on Sunday. Janik Besendorf, the spokesman for the Committee for Data Protection and Communication, welcomed the fact that the inspectors were finally getting serious: “For years, despite repeated criticism, the FU has not realized that it has to end the use of Webex.” It is now important to “quickly rely on data-saving alternatives such as Jitsi or BigBlueButton (BBB)” in order to be able to continue teaching in the winter semester.
According to the AStA, the actions of the supervisory authority are also relevant beyond the FU: the Senate and House of Representatives also use the controversial conference system and have so far rejected the warnings.
No further explanations
The FU cap according to its own description However, “a large number of measures have already been successful”, which Monita “took up and constructively solve” from the renowned Berlin data protection officer Maja Smoltczyk. When asked by heise online, a spokesman for the university did not initially explain these steps. He also does not go into a potential switch to other systems.
Two years ago, the data protection conference of the federal and state governments issued a guide according to which companies, authorities and other organizations cannot easily use widespread video conferencing systems such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, GoToMeeting and Webex. Before that, the leading solutions from overseas had failed Smoltczyk’s short test. On the other hand, the controller gave the green light for Jitsi and BigBlueButton instances.
The FU Presidium has now announced that it will “continue to respond to constructive suggestions for further improving data protection”. It wants to use the top-level discussion brought into play “to emphasize the overall complex and to show solution scenarios”. Researchers had recently found that Webex phoned home muted for a long time and revealed activities in the room.
(emw)