- Microsoft Teams is getting better bot protection
- Humans will now need to remove any bots or agents attending a meeting.
- Developers will be able to register and pre-authorize their agents
Microsoft is cracking down on bots infiltrating Teams meetings, introducing new technology that will allow humans to check that everyone on a call is who they say they are.
Like a nightclub bouncer, the new tool will require a human user to verify the identity of the robots in the call lobby, before the meeting begins.
The company says it has used a combination of “behavioral and infrastructure signals to identify bots with a higher degree of accuracy” in order to increase Microsoft Teams’ ability “to distinguish between bots and human participants when they join a meeting.”
Bots in teams
The launch, which is rolling out now, comes as transcription and note-taking robots and agents are becoming increasingly common in meetings, ostensibly to help participants recap and remember details, but these unwanted guests could also pose a security and privacy risk.
“Robots have started joining meetings that participants never intended them to attend,” Microsoft product marketing manager Meera Ajam wrote in a company blog post. “For example, after connecting a third-party service to a meeting, some users found that their bot continues to join future meetings automatically.”
“Admitting a bot should be a deliberate decision, not something that happens by mistake,” Ajam added, noting that multiple clicks from a human will now be required for a bot to be allowed in.
If this sounds like an unwanted extra hassle, then fear not: Microsoft says it has added a way for users to pre-verify agents or bots, in particular, “a registration path for independent software vendors (ISVs) that create meeting experiences for Microsoft Teams.”
“When Teams recognizes that marker, it can identify the bot as a known participant,” Ajam wrote.
This means developers will be able to register with Microsoft to ensure their tools are authorized for use in Teams. Ajam noted that the company is working with “a limited set of ISVs to preview this capability and validate the experience ahead of broader availability.”
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