Zoom

Zoom

Review date: Sept. 8, 2021

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Mozilla says

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People voted: Very creepy

Zoom’s popularity went from 0 to 60 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Its daily meeting participants grew from 10 million to over 300 million in just a few months. With so many more people working, schooling, and socializing from home, Zoom became a favorite video call app for many because of its high video quality, call recording, and ease of use. With Zoom’s rapid growth came a number of growing pains. Like the phenomena known as Zoombombing, when strangers, often with bad intent, invade video calls and cause problems. Full disclosure, here at Mozilla we use Zoom and have worked closely with the company to get its privacy and security features right for us.

What could happen if something goes wrong?

Zoom’s privacy and security problems since 2020 are well documented -- not being completely honest about it being fully end-to-end encrypted, security flaws the company failed to disclose, zoomboomings that included abuse and hate speech, over 500,000 users accounts up for sale on the dark web, a lawsuit filed because Facebook was allegedly allowed to "eavesdrop" on Zoom users' personal data. The list of failures and vulnerabilities is long. So, have they gotten better? Zoom has acknowledged their mistakes and appears to be invested in fixing them, for the most part. As of July 2021, end-to-end encryption is in technical preview. Because it disables several features. Zoom recommends using end-to-end encryption only for meetings where additional protection is needed. And Zoom says it does not sell personal information. Zoom does share personal information with third-parties for advertising and other purposes. This sharing of data is fairly common with many similar video call apps we reviewed like Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex doing the same thing. All in all, Zoom is an OK video call app for most purposes. Still, given Zoom’s many very public missteps over the past couple of years, we really hope they keep working to get better at both privacy and security.

  • mobile

Can it snoop on me? information

Camera

Device: N/A

App: Yes

Microphone

Device: N/A

App: Yes

Tracks location

Device: N/A

App: No

What can be used to sign up?

Optional Facebook sign up is available.

What data does the company collect?

How does the company use this data?

Zoom claims that it does not sell any personal information. Zoom provides personal data to third parties, including third-party marketing and advertising (subject to prior consent where required under applicable law). These third-party partners may receive information about your activities on Zoom’s website through third-party cookies placed on Zoom’s website. Zoom may also share personal data with actual or prospective acquirers, their representatives and other relevant participants during any negotiation of sales, merger, or similar. Therefore, the data collected now could potentially be transferred to the other entity with different practices, without prior consent. Zoom collects user consent for tracking cookies on its web page and app.

How can you control your data?

The company mentions clear criteria to define retention periods, promises to not store data for longer than needed to offer services or as required by law. Hosts of Zoom calls can password-protect saved calls, password-protect meetings, lock a meeting to prevent new participants, turn on/off enter and exit chimes, mute participants on the call and even remove participants from the call. All Zoom participants have the ability to annotate the video of a call, but only hosts can clear all annotations and disable annotation for everyone. In the paid version, Zoom hosts are able to record meetings, with the option of saving the recording locally to their hard drive or remotely to Zoom's cloud.

What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?

Needs Improvement

In April 2020, over 500,000 Zoom accounts' details were discovered on the dark web. In July 2021, Zoom agreed to settle a class-action US privacy lawsuit for $US85 million. The lawsuit claimed Zoom breached the privacy of millions of users by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn. Zoom denied any wrongdoing but did agree to improve its security practices.

Can this product be used offline?

N/A

User-friendly privacy information?

Yes

After June 2021, Zoom updated its privacy policy, to make its language and navigation simpler. Now the privacy policy is formulated in a way of Question + Answer with links to the key points, like data retention rights, processing data of underage users, contact information, regional regulations, etc.

Links to privacy information

Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards? information

Yes

Encryption

Yes

As of July 2021, end-to-end encryption is in technical preview and disables several other features. Zoom recommends using end-to-end encryption only for meetings where additional protection is needed.

Strong password

Yes

Zoom requires a strong password to sign in. For an extra layer of security, Zoom meetings can also be password protected.

Security updates

Yes

Updates and bug fixes are released multiple times a month.

Manages vulnerabilities

Yes

Zoom has a program in place to handle security vulnerabilities.

Privacy policy

Yes

Easily accessible privacy policy, formulated in a way of Question + Answer

Does the product use AI? information

Yes

Zoom uses AI to auto-generate transcripts.

Is this AI untrustworthy?

Can’t Determine

What kind of decisions does the AI make about you or for you?

Is the company transparent about how the AI works?

No

Does the user have control over the AI features?

Can’t Determine

*Privacy Not Included

Dive Deeper

  • Forget Zoom: Use these private video-chatting tools, instead
    Mashable Link opens in a new tab
  • Tips to Make Your Zoom Gatherings More Private
    Mozilla Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom: Here’s When To Use It, And When You Should Avoid It
    Forbes Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom: Two new security exploits uncovered
    CNET Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom privacy and security issues: Here's everything that's wrong (so far)
    Tom's Guide Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom will soon let you report meeting participants to help bust Zoombombers
    The Verge Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom Updates User Privacy, Security on Its Videoconferencing Platform
    Consumer Reports Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom releases 5.0 update with security and privacy improvements
    The Verge Link opens in a new tab
  • Your Zoom videos could live on in the cloud even after you delete them
    CNET Link opens in a new tab
  • Hackers leak Zoom accounts’ usernames, passwords, full names and email addresses
    Security Newspaper Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom is Leaking Peoples' Email Addresses and Photos to Strangers
    Vice Link opens in a new tab
  • What Can You Tell me About Zoom?
    Mozilla Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom settles US privacy lawsuit for $US85 million
    ABC Link opens in a new tab
  • Over 500,000 Zoom accounts sold on hacker forums, the dark web
    Bleeping Computer Link opens in a new tab
  • Zoom to pay $85M for lying about encryption and sending data to Facebook and Google
    Ars Technica Link opens in a new tab
  • How Your Boss Can Use Your Remote-Work Tools to Spy on You
    Wirecutter Link opens in a new tab

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