Zoom’s privacy, security practices questioned after ‘zoombombing’

At least two US state attorneys have sought information from Zoom Video Communications Inc following multiple reports that questioned the privacy and security of the videoconferencing app.

Zoom’s popularity has surged as employees at businesses, schools and millions of other organizations across the world work from home due to lockdowns imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“We are alarmed by the Zoom-bombing incidents and are seeking more information from the company about its privacy and security measures in coordination with other state attorneys general,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston office on Monday warned Zoom users not to make meetings on the site public or share links widely after it received two reports of unidentified individuals invading school sessions, a phenomenon known as “zoombombing”.

New York State AG Letitia James has sent a letter to Zoom with a number of questions to ensure the company is taking appropriate steps to ensure users’ privacy and security, a spokesperson said.

“We appreciate the outreach we have received on these issues from various elected officials and look forward to engaging with them,” a Zoom spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Politico, which first reported about the move.

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.