A spokesperson for ZOOM has told the trusted resources that despite the company’s claim of providing end-to-end encryption, the company cannot provide end-to-end encryption for video conferences.

The spokesperson also revealed that the encryption used by the ZOOM transports layer service, which encrypts the data between the user and the ZOOM’s server while end-to-end refers to data encryption between calls.

End-to-end encryption blocks any third party, which even includes the service providers. However, it does not stand true for ZOOM as the company can see and manipulate user data for their purposes like target ads.

The spokesperson of ZOOM also added that when the company used end-to-end in their literature, it implied encryption from one ZOOM endpoint to another ZOOM endpoint.

A Threat to ZOOM’s Increasing Popularity

Like many other video conferencing apps, ZOOM is also taking advantage of the Coronavirus lockdown. Its usage is the US is reportedly three times as much as Microsoft, which is impressive because a year ago nobody knew about this application.

Microsoft suggested that it is a threat to its business model as it can be used in tandem with rivals like Slack and Google’s G Suite, unlike Teams.

The main appeal of ZOOM to every organization is that it is free and without any premium features, which lets the companies try it without forking any money.

In Short

Video conferencing is impressive and a necessity in times like these. However, it is also essential to know the importance of security and privacy, which go in parallel with this increasingly new form of communication.

ZOOM told the trusted sources that it only collects the data of the users to improve its services, and no employee has access to the data of meetings. It also said that it would not sell the user’s data for illegal purposes. However, the company still confirms that they will hand over the meetings data for legal procedures.