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My school's IT department flagged our encrypted group chat as a security risk | Encrypted Speech Rights - Discusd

My school's IT department flagged our encrypted group chat as a security risk

At my school, the IT team set up a system to track all online chats. We were planning to talk about unfair grading policies with other teachers. So we moved our talks to an encrypted app. IT saw the encrypted data and called it a risk. I think we need privacy to speak freely at work. Has anyone else faced pushback for using encryption tools? It feels like our rights to organize are under threat without them.

3 comments

3 Comments

iris_adams7mo ago

Did you check your employee handbook or tech use policy? Ours had a line about only using approved apps for work talk. They called our Signal group a "shadow system" and said it broke data rules. We had to switch to just talking in person during breaks, which honestly worked better. IT usually has to follow rules set by higher ups who hate anything they can't monitor.

the_hugo7mo ago

Wow, they actually flagged encryption as a security risk? Sounds like they're more worried about control than actual safety.

emery_morgan87mo ago

Honestly, something people don't talk about is how end-to-end encryption can make it tough for apps to spot and stop bad stuff like spam or fraud in real time. Tbh, if a platform can't see what's being sent, they can't help if someone is being tricked or bullied. It puts the burden on users to figure out what's safe, and not everyone has the skills for that. So calling it a security risk might be about protecting regular people, not just control. But yeah, it's a tricky balance because no one wants their private messages read by companies or governments. Still, framing it only as a control issue misses how encryption can sometimes leave users on their own when things go wrong.