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In March 2020, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was intensifying worldwide, the use of the teleconferencing platform Zoom soared, becoming essential for businesses, schools, and families to connect virtually. However, this widespread adoption also led to a troubling phenomenon known as “zoombombing,” where unauthorized individuals disrupted meetings with inappropriate content or behavior.
The occurrences of zoombombing raised concerns among Zoom users regarding the privacy and security of their video calls. These worries, combined with fears about Zoom sharing user data with companies like Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn, led to the filing of a class action lawsuit. To settle this legal dispute, Zoom Video Communications has agreed to a settlement of $85 million.
Aside from the financial compensation, Zoom will implement significant changes to enhance meeting security, provide clearer privacy disclosures, and safeguard user data, as outlined in the settlement agreement.
These changes include introducing in-meeting notifications to inform users about who can access, store, or share their information, as well as alerting users when a meeting host or participant utilizes a third-party app during a meeting.
Zoom to pay $85m to address privacy breaches and zoombombing claims https://t.co/VDGGFA8HVJ by @campbell_kwan
— ZDNet (@ZDNet) August 2, 2021
A representative from Zoom told CNN Business, “The privacy and security of our users are paramount to Zoom, and we take the trust our users place in us very seriously.” The spokesperson expressed pride in the platform’s advancements in privacy and security and emphasized a commitment to ongoing innovation with these aspects in focus.
Moreover, Zoom core subscribers involved in the lawsuit will have the opportunity to receive partial refunds on their subscriptions as compensation for the inconvenience they experienced.
