Video conferencing provider Zoom plans to strengthen encryption of video calls hosted by paying clients and institutions such as schools, but not by users of its free consumer accounts, a company official said on Friday.

The company, whose business has boomed with the coronavirus pandemic, discussed the move on a call with civil liberties groups and child-sex abuse fighters on Thursday, and Zoom security consultant Alex Stamos confirmed it on Friday.

In an interview, Stamos said the plan was subject to change and it was not yet clear which, if any, nonprofits or other users, such as political dissidents, might qualify for accounts allowing more secure video meetings.

He added that a combination of technological, safety and business factors went into the plan, which drew mixed reactions from privacy advocates.

Zoom has attracted millions of free and paying customers amid the pandemic, in part because users could join a meeting - something that now happens 300 million times a day - without registering.

But that has allowed opportunities for troublemakers to slip into meetings, sometimes after pretending to be invitees. 
Gennie Gebhart, a researcher with the Electronic Frontier Foundation who was on Thursday’s call, said she hoped Zoom would change course and offer protected video more widely.

But Jon Callas, a technology fellow of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the strategy seemed a reasonable compromise.

Safety experts and law enforcement have warned that sexual predators and other criminals are increasingly using encrypted communications to avoid detection.

"Those of us who are doing secure communication believe we need to do things about the real horrible stuff," said Callas, who previously sold paid encryption services.

"Charging money for end-to-end encryption is a way to get rid of the riff-raff," including spammers and other malicious users who take advantage of free services.

Zoom hired Stamos and other experts after a series of security failures led some institutions to ban its use. Last week Zoom released a technical paper on its encryption plans, without saying how widely they would reach.

"At the same time that Zoom is trying to improve security, they are also significantly upgrading their trust and safety," said Stamos, a former chief security officer at Facebook.

"The CEO is looking at different arguments. The current plan is paid customers plus enterprise accounts where the company knows who they are."

Full encryption for every meeting would leave Zoom’s trust and safety team unable to add itself as a participant in gatherings to tackle abuse in real time, Stamos added.

An end-to-end model, which means no one but the participants and their devices can see and hear what is happening, would also have to exclude people who call in from a telephone line.

From a business perspective, it is hard to earn money when offering a sophisticated and expensive encryption service for free. Facebook is planning to fully encrypt Messenger, but it earns enormous sums from its other services.

Other providers of encrypted communication either charge business users or act as nonprofits, such as the makers of Signal.

Zoom is also dealing with regulators such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which is looking into its previous claims about encryption that have been criticized as exaggerated or false, said Stamos and another person familiar with the matter.

With the Justice Department and some members of Congress condemning strong encryption, Zoom could draw unwanted new attention through a major expansion in that area, privacy experts said.

An outside spokesman for Zoom, Nate Johnson, said its encryption was "a work in progress," including the engineering design and "which customers it would apply to."

Video conferencing provider Zoom plans to strengthen encryption of video calls hosted by paying clients and institutions such as schools, but not by users of its free consumer accounts, a company official said on Friday.

Video conferencing provider Zoom plans to strengthen encryption of video calls hosted by paying clients and institutions such as schools, but not by users of its free consumer accounts, a company official said on Friday. The company, whose business has boomed with the coronavirus pandemic, discussed the move on a call with civil liberties groups and child-sex abuse fighters on Thursday, and Zoom security consultant Alex Stamos confirmed it on Friday. In an interview, Stamos said the plan was subject to change and it was not yet clear which, if any, nonprofits or other users, such as political dissidents, might qualify for accounts allowing more secure video meetings. He added that a combination of technological, safety and business factors went into the plan, which drew mixed reactions from privacy advocates. Zoom has attracted millions of free and paying customers amid the pandemic, in part because users could join a meeting - something that now happens 300 million times a day - without registering. But that has allowed opportunities for troublemakers to slip into meetings, sometimes after pretending to be invitees. Gennie Gebhart, a researcher with the Electronic Frontier Foundation who was on Thursday’s call, said she hoped Zoom would change course and offer protected video more widely. But Jon Callas, a technology fellow of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the strategy seemed a reasonable compromise. Safety experts and law enforcement have warned that sexual predators and other criminals are increasingly using encrypted communications to avoid detection. "Those of us who are doing secure communication believe we need to do things about the real horrible stuff," said Callas, who previously sold paid encryption services. "Charging money for end-to-end encryption is a way to get rid of the riff-raff," including spammers and other malicious users who take advantage of free services. Zoom hired Stamos and other experts after a series of security failures led some institutions to ban its use. Last week Zoom released a technical paper on its encryption plans, without saying how widely they would reach. "At the same time that Zoom is trying to improve security, they are also significantly upgrading their trust and safety," said Stamos, a former chief security officer at Facebook. "The CEO is looking at different arguments. The current plan is paid customers plus enterprise accounts where the company knows who they are." Full encryption for every meeting would leave Zoom’s trust and safety team unable to add itself as a participant in gatherings to tackle abuse in real time, Stamos added. An end-to-end model, which means no one but the participants and their devices can see and hear what is happening, would also have to exclude people who call in from a telephone line. From a business perspective, it is hard to earn money when offering a sophisticated and expensive encryption service for free. Facebook is planning to fully encrypt Messenger, but it earns enormous sums from its other services. Other providers of encrypted communication either charge business users or act as nonprofits, such as the makers of Signal. Zoom is also dealing with regulators such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which is looking into its previous claims about encryption that have been criticized as exaggerated or false, said Stamos and another person familiar with the matter. With the Justice Department and some members of Congress condemning strong encryption, Zoom could draw unwanted new attention through a major expansion in that area, privacy experts said. An outside spokesman for Zoom, Nate Johnson, said its encryption was "a work in progress," including the engineering design and "which customers it would apply to."

Zoom plans to roll out strong encryption for paying customers

In the time of lockdown, when we all have been bored of binge-watching, reading books so&nbsp;here is something new that might&nbsp;entertain you. 
 
Sheena Khalid brings us India’s first virtual play titled 'Lockdown Love'. The play has gone live with a team of fascinating actors who together tell an engaging story together.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/randeep-hooda-takes-fan-on-the-sets-of-extraction-with-these-behind-the-scenes-footages-293861">Randeep Hooda takes fan on the sets of 'Extraction' with these behind-the-scenes footages</a>

The play is an adaption from Jonathan Rand’s 'Check Please'. The show was hosted by&nbsp;Roshan Abbas (who also doubles up as tech director), the play stars Shriya Pilgaonkar and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/priyanshu-painyuli-reveals-how-extraction-co-star-chris-hemsworth-inspired-him-to-be-grounded-291980">Priyanshu Painyuli</a> amongst others.&nbsp;

It’s a modern-day take on arranged romance in times of a pandemic. The show also stars Tanmay Danania, Ashwin Mushran, Kira Narayanan and the director Sheena herself. 
 
The show was virtually performed on Zoom and tells the story of a boy and a girl, who go on different online dates with random weird people, till they accidentally log into a window where they meet each other and connect. It's about in these difficult times also how sometimes one keeps looking and hoping to find love.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Priyanshu&nbsp;is all set to make his international debut with Chris Hemsworth starrer <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/extraction-trailer-chris-hemsworths-film-is-the-crossover-we-need-right-now-291193">'Extraction</a>' on April 24, 2020.

“This was the first of its kind live play to be performed virtually for an audience on Zoom. There was a showcase done for some brands and online companies, to show them this new format of live play. It's about in these difficult times also how sometimes one keeps looking and hoping to find love. The idea is to make it live for the audience and do more shows with the help from video facilities to give people a new format of entertainment in these difficult times Every actor performs from their respective houses even in rehearsals. &nbsp;The tech support and direction was done through zoom video chats. Tess Joseph did a fantastic casting on this one and I had a great time working on this'' Painyuli said. 
 
The first show was on April 12 and they are planning to give out one every weekend.&nbsp;

In the time of lockdown, when we all have been bored of binge-watching, reading books so here is something new that might entertain you. Sheena Khalid brings us India’s first virtual play titled 'Lockdown Love'.

In the time of lockdown, when we all have been bored of binge-watching, reading books so here is something new that might entertain you. Sheena Khalid brings us India’s first virtual play titled 'Lockdown Love'. The play has gone live with a team of fascinating actors who together tell an engaging story together. Also read: Randeep Hooda takes fan on the sets of 'Extraction' with these behind-the-scenes footages The play is an adaption from Jonathan Rand’s 'Check Please'. The show was hosted by Roshan Abbas (who also doubles up as tech director), the play stars Shriya Pilgaonkar and Priyanshu Painyuli amongst others. It’s a modern-day take on arranged romance in times of a pandemic. The show also stars Tanmay Danania, Ashwin Mushran, Kira Narayanan and the director Sheena herself. The show was virtually performed on Zoom and tells the story of a boy and a girl, who go on different online dates with random weird people, till they accidentally log into a window where they meet each other and connect. It's about in these difficult times also how sometimes one keeps looking and hoping to find love. Meanwhile, Priyanshu is all set to make his international debut with Chris Hemsworth starrer 'Extraction' on April 24, 2020. “This was the first of its kind live play to be performed virtually for an audience on Zoom. There was a showcase done for some brands and online companies, to show them this new format of live play. It's about in these difficult times also how sometimes one keeps looking and hoping to find love. The idea is to make it live for the audience and do more shows with the help from video facilities to give people a new format of entertainment in these difficult times Every actor performs from their respective houses even in rehearsals. The tech support and direction was done through zoom video chats. Tess Joseph did a fantastic casting on this one and I had a great time working on this'' Painyuli said. The first show was on April 12 and they are planning to give out one every weekend.

'Extraction' actor Priyanshu Painyuli brings up India’s first virtual play 'Lockdown Love'

India's Home Ministry on April 16 flagged security concerns over the use of the ZOOM video app for official use. In a notification, the ministry issued guidelines for the use of the app.

Indian Government issues guidelines for ZOOM APP: Only for private use