Google Hangouts/Meet student privacy update - FAQ Follow
In this article:
- What has changed with Current Screens?
- Why was this change made?
- What happens when students are in a Meet or Hangout and open another tab?
- What happens when a student has a Meet or Hangout in a split screen?
- What websites are blocked in Current Screens?
What has changed with Current Screens?
To further protect the privacy of remote learners, we have recently released an update that blocks Hāpara Highlights from taking screenshots when students are on meet.google.com or hangouts.google.com.
Now, when teachers are in the Current Screens tab of Highlights and students are on either Meet or Hangouts, instead of seeing a screenshot with a view of students’ webcams, teachers will see the following message:
Only screenshots from Meet and Hangouts are blocked, and all other websites will be shown as usual. The Meet code or nickname will also appear in the student tile, so you know students are in the right place!
Why was this change made?
The Hāpara team takes student privacy very seriously. We also know that it is important to see what students are doing online and where they are going, in order to support them as learners.
With this update, teachers can continue to see what their students are doing, but cannot view a screenshot of students’ webcams.
We made this update particularly to protect students who have opened a Meet but have not yet joined the call and may not realize that teachers can see their screens and what is being captured by their cameras.
Only screenshots from Meet and Hangouts are blocked in Highlights, and only when these sites are the active tab.
What happens when students are in a Meet or Hangout and open another tab?
Screenshots are only blocked when Meet or Hangouts are the active tab. If students are participating in synchronous, remote learning in which they have joined a class Meet and are doing other activities, teachers will still be able to monitor their work.
When students are viewing the Meet or Hangout, teachers will see the following message in the student tile:
If the student has Meet or Hangouts open in a non-active tab, and is completing school work on other websites, the teacher will see screenshots of that activity as normal. Current Screens shows the tab or window that students are currently working in.
What happens when a student has a Meet or Hangout in a split screen?
Current Screens has always and will always show the active tab or window that students are looking at. In a split screen set up, this is typically the last window the student clicked on.
Screenshots are only blocked when Meet or Hangouts are the active tab/window. If students are participating in synchronous, remote learning in which they have a Meet open and are doing other activities in a split screen, teachers will still be able to monitor their work.
When students have clicked on the tab/window with the Meet or Hangout, teachers will see the following message in the student tile:
When students click on another window to complete their work, Current Screens will update to display the active tab, with the screenshot.
Note: Because Current Screens can only show you the window students have clicked in most recently, if you know students are using a split screen set up, the Browser Tabs view of Highlights might give you a more complete view of what students are looking at.
What websites are blocked in Current Screens?
Meet.google.com and hangouts.google.com are the only websites that are blocked in Current Screens. You will still be able to see that students are on these sites, but to protect student privacy while their webcams are open, you cannot see their screens.
If a student navigates to any other site, in another tab or window, or in the same tab, you will be able to see that site as normal.