Zoom privacy practices under investigation as usage surges

The New York Attorney General’s office is probing the video conferencing company Zoom about its data privacy and security now that it has seen a surge in popularity as more and more people are quarantining during the coronavirus emergency.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The New York Times reports New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to Zoom asking if it had implemented any new security measures now that it has exploded in popularity. The letter comes as numerous concerns have been raised about the software.

Among the concerns in the letter was whether “Zoom’s existing security practices might not be sufficient to adapt to the recent and sudden surge in both the volume and sensitivity of data being passed through its network,” according to the Times, which obtained the letter sent to the company.

Recently, a vulnerability on Zoom allowed hackers to hijack conferences and spread hate speech. The FBI’s Boston office on Monday warned the public about so-called “Zoombombing” and listed instances of bad actors dialing into high school classes being conducted online.

Questions have also been raised about the software’s privacy policy—and its data collection practices. A recent report in Motherboard highlighted how Zoom sent data to Facebook, although the company recently removed that code.

The New York Attorney General’s letter also addresses the data sharing with Facebook, the Times reports.

In a statement to the newspaper, the company said it took user privacy and security “extremely seriously” and that it would cooperate with getting the New York Attorney General information that was requested.

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