I've noticed that many of our end users have added Read.AI and other note-taking apps, like Fathom and Otter, to our meetings. After doing some research, I found that I could block these apps for our entire organization via the Zoom and Microsoft Teams admin portals. However, even after attempting to do this, Read.AI keeps showing up in meetings. I'm considering making each user manually delete the app, which is frustrating. I also thought about changing Read.AI's display image to something like HAL 9000 to warn people about privacy issues. Anyone have any suggestions on how to effectively get rid of this app?
5 Answers
We outright banned Read.AI from our tenant and it actually pushed us to start using a whitelist approach for apps. It’s way easier to manage that way.
You can also uncheck the option for M365 sign-in for Read.AI in the Entra settings. It should stop users from signing in with their accounts.
Awesome! I didn’t realize that was an option. I’m blocking the main offenders now, thanks for the tip!
You might want to check on Azure AD too. It often auto-creates groups for apps like Read.AI, so blocking it there could help. Plus, if users had blanket consent to activate apps, you'll want to modify that setting to prevent future issues.
Sounds like that’s the route we need to take. We had a similar situation and once we tightened control over app permissions, it made a huge difference.
There's a setting in Teams now to require a Captcha for unauthenticated users joining meetings, which could help block unwanted apps like Read.AI from slipping in.
We’re considering this too! If it doesn’t work, I think we might have to block anonymous accounts altogether.
You should definitely look into the Azure portal under Enterprise applications. That way you can control what gets allowed and ask for user consent for new apps in your organization. It might lessen the headaches you’re facing.
I agree. A whitelist approach not only protects data but also simplifies the management process.