Following backlash from the announcement that not all users would receive end-to-end encryption, Zoom changed its mind. Civil rights groups mostly led the charge against Zoom, stating the company’s plan to exclude free users from encryption was unlawful. The main argument of the civil rights groups is that Zoom’s choice to exclude free user accounts from encryption opened them up to the potential of unwanted meeting attendees – which raised concerns of privacy and security. Zoom’s plan to build the world’s largest end-to-end encrypted video conferencing system is a massive undertaking, and one set to secure communication for (what we thought would be) all users.
Rightfully so, Zoom reversed its decision not to extend end-to-end encryption to all accounts, even free ones. Civil liberties organizations, child safety advocates, encryption experts, government representatives, and users, all felt extending full encryption to everyone was the right thing to do in the name of privacy and security. Zoom CEO, Eric Yuan, said the company planned to suspend free users from end-to-end encryption so it could maintain involvement with the FBI and other local law enforcement “In case some people use Zoom for bad purposes.” He then stated that full encryption would be available in July for beta usage, I’m told.
This story demonstrates the power of making noise to enact change for the greater good. Since the start of the COVID-19 period, we’ve had to rely on companies like Zoom to connect us. And Zoom’s founder Eric Yuan has benefitted from the novel Coronavirus considerably. Yuan is number 192 on Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, but before 2020, he wasn’t on the list. Today, Yuan’s net worth is 7.5 billion. Zoom’s first quarter produced handsome results for the company, too and it earned $328.2 million in revenue, up 169 percent when compared on a year-over-year basis. The number of customers contributing more than $100,000 in revenue, is up 90 percent year-over-year as well. Since Zoom’s catapulted into the mainstream, it’s picked up about 290 million new daily users, which is up significantly when you consider that number was ten million in December.
Amid the backdrop of a global health crisis, Zoombombing ran amok, a practice in which Internet trolls use (in many cases), crude, racist, and other offensive language/imagery to interrupt Zoom video meetings. In response to the phenomenon, Zoom introduced its 90-day plan to combat security and has since made good on many of the plan’s fundamental commitments. Zoom’s worried about unverified accounts wreaking havoc on everyday Zoom users, which also makes it harder for agencies such as the Bureau to track users with no data on them.
As such, Zoom will require free users to sign up using a phone number and they’ll need to verify their identity via a one-time text message. There are a host of other new privacy features Zoom’s introduced to its platform, and meeting hosts can turn end-to-end encryption on and off manually when it is made available, just as they can with other features that limit who can and can’t enter meeting spaces, share content, unmute mics, etc. As Zoom’s 90-day plan progresses, the company’s made significant leeway and made some strategic alliances, including the acquisition of Keybase, an essential component in Zoom realizing end-to-end encryption for all video meeting attendees.
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