Thread by @rollforlearning

Let's break down how sharing Google Meet codes publicly puts kids at risk.

Some common responses I've seen from people seeking to minimize the impact of what Chanel Pfahl did yesterday - and why they're wrong - below.

#onted #onpoli #OttVote #OCDSB

"It was just the nickname, not the joining information."

The nickname IS the joining information. You don't need a link to join a Meet if it's been created with a nickname. You can enter the nickname and go directly to the meeting.

Ergo, Chanel shared joining information.

"They're locked to OCDSB accounts anyway, so no harm done."

Even if a meeting is locked down, non-OCDSB accounts can still request entry to the Meet. That could be abused by trolls to overwhelm hosts of meetings with requests to join, which play a sound and create a pop-up.

"The host can just ignore these requests and keep the meeting going."

Sure, if they're able to focus through dozens of pings and pop-ups, some of which could be using offensive names, others which could be impersonating people you think SHOULD have access to the meeting.

"The e-mail didn't have student names, just staff."

There is no "just" here. The e-mail included the names of racialized &/or queer staff along with their contact info. Given what I've experienced after being targeted on here, I'm sure they're getting hateful messages & threats.

There was also a student name in the e-mail that Chanel shared, for the record. That student's work and activism have been repeatedly targeted on this site both before this and as a direct result of this e-mail being shared.

All students AND STAFF deserve to have their privacy and safety respected. Would this have been objectively worse if all of those were students' names? Yes. But it's still horrific and inexcusable to allow staff to be targeted this way, too.

"Parents deserve to know these Meets are happening."

All of these meetings are held after school hours, at which time parents, in theory, know what their kids are up to on tech.

"These Meets were kept a secret from parents!" / "This was a mass e-mail to everyone in OCDSB so there's no reason not to share it!"

I'm gonna need y'all to pick a story and stick with it.

"It's not like any random troll could get access."

OCDSB referred to the potential for cybersecurity incidents. We saw these happen during online learning. Some students had their accounts hacked into last year, others spoofed, and some really horrific messages were sent.

If that were to happen again, then those hacked or spoofed accounts could be used to gain access to these meetings while they are in progress, creating the potential for harmful messages & images to be shared with participants.

In advertising these meetings to all of Twitter, Chanel Pfahl and Jon Kay created the potential for more of these attacks to happen. They facilitated it by making this info available to the same bigoted trolls who have been following me around for a month calling me a groomer.

"The meeting codes have all been changed anyway, so it's fine now."

No. It isn't fine. This action damaged students' trust in their safety and school community. Someone on staff made that e-mail available to Chanel, which means someone on staff isn't an ally.

In addition to the confusion of changing meeting dates and joining information abruptly, which will not reach everyone it needs to reach, there will likely also be a different protocol now for requesting this info. Another barrier to student participation in these meetings.

Inputting a join code without having to e-mail a staff member directly to ask for it is a lot easier for the nervous student who just wants to find a supportive peer group.

There are other things I could get into-- allegations of $$ mismanagement for having staff dedicated to equity; non-students joining secretly using kids' info to surveil and report on the group; the damaged trust leading to students not using these spaces at all.

But this thread is long enough already. I hope I've shed a little more light on why Chanel's actions were and continue to be harmful to the communities she claims to want to serve.

This isn't what #OCDSB stands for.

#onted #onpoli #OttVote

@threadreaderapp unroll please

If only because it led to instant hilarity with the trolls last time I did a long AF thread.