Zoom Video Communications Inc agreed to pay $85 million and bolster its security practices to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated users' privacy rights by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn and letting hackers disrupt Zoom meetings in a practice called Zoombombing.

A preliminary settlement filed on Saturday afternoon requires approval by US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California.

Subscribers in the proposed class action would be eligible for 15% refunds on their core subscriptions or $25, whichever is larger, while others could receive up to $15.

Zoom agreed to security measures including alerting users when meeting hosts or other participants use third-party apps in meetings and providing specialized training to employees on privacy and data handling.

The San Jose-based company denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

In a statement on Sunday, Zoom said: "The privacy and security of our users are top priorities for Zoom, and we take seriously the trust our users place in us."

Saturday's settlement came after Koh on March 11 let the plaintiffs pursue some contract-based claims. 
 
Though Zoom collected about $1.3 billion in Zoom Meetings subscriptions from class members, the plaintiffs' lawyers called the $85 million settlement reasonable given the litigation risks. They intend to seek up to $21.25 million for legal fees.

Zoombombing is where outsiders hijack Zoom meetings and display pornography, use racist language or post other disturbing content.

Koh said Zoom was "mostly" immune for Zoombombing under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability over user content.

Zoom's customer base has grown sixfold since the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to work from home.

The company had 497,000 customers with more than 10 employees in April 2021, up from 81,900 in January 2020. It has been said user growth could slow or decline as more people get vaccines and return to work or school in person.

The case is In re: Zoom Video Communications Inc Privacy Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-02155.

Zoom Video Communications Inc agreed to pay $85 million and bolster its security practices to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated users' privacy rights by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn and letting hackers disrupt Zoom meetings in a practice called Zoombombing.

Zoom Video Communications Inc agreed to pay $85 million and bolster its security practices to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated users' privacy rights by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn and letting hackers disrupt Zoom meetings in a practice called Zoombombing. A preliminary settlement filed on Saturday afternoon requires approval by US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California. Subscribers in the proposed class action would be eligible for 15% refunds on their core subscriptions or $25, whichever is larger, while others could receive up to $15. Zoom agreed to security measures including alerting users when meeting hosts or other participants use third-party apps in meetings and providing specialized training to employees on privacy and data handling. The San Jose-based company denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. In a statement on Sunday, Zoom said: "The privacy and security of our users are top priorities for Zoom, and we take seriously the trust our users place in us." Saturday's settlement came after Koh on March 11 let the plaintiffs pursue some contract-based claims. Though Zoom collected about $1.3 billion in Zoom Meetings subscriptions from class members, the plaintiffs' lawyers called the $85 million settlement reasonable given the litigation risks. They intend to seek up to $21.25 million for legal fees. Zoombombing is where outsiders hijack Zoom meetings and display pornography, use racist language or post other disturbing content. Koh said Zoom was "mostly" immune for Zoombombing under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability over user content. Zoom's customer base has grown sixfold since the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to work from home. The company had 497,000 customers with more than 10 employees in April 2021, up from 81,900 in January 2020. It has been said user growth could slow or decline as more people get vaccines and return to work or school in person. The case is In re: Zoom Video Communications Inc Privacy Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-02155.

Zoom to pay $85 million as fine for sending data to Facebook and Google

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

A Long Island man suspected of fatally stabbing his father on a live&nbsp;Zoom&nbsp;call confessed to the caught-on-camera killing after police found him trying to wash blood off his body with Dr Pepper, prosecutors said on Friday.

Thomas Scully-Powers, 32, was arraigned via video and ordered jailed without bail after pleading not guilty to a murder charge in the attack on Long Island,&nbsp;New York, on Thursday that left 72-year-old Dwight Powers nearly decapitated as horrified call participants scrambled to dial 911.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-church-sues-zoom-app-after-zoombombing-of-bible-study-session-298874">US church sues Zoom app after 'zoombombing' of bible study session</a>

Such virtual meetings have become ubiquitous during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing people to see and talk to each other in groups without the risk of physical proximity. Because many meetings are recorded as they unfold, there’s a chance prosecutors will be able to obtain video of the attack taking place.

After his arrest, Scully-Powers told police he stabbed his father approximately 15 times in the back, neck and torso, switching knives because the blades were bending, according to prosecutors.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-man-was-sentenced-to-death-in-nigeria-via-zoom-app-inviting-backlash-297390">A man was sentenced to death in Nigeria via Zoom app, inviting backlash</a>

The county medical examiner said Powers sustained multiple stab wounds to his chest and back, with one slash across his neck nearly decapitating him.

The murder took place in the town of Amityville, known in particular for the horror book series bearing its name and related film, which came out in 1979.

"This is a shocking and disturbing case," Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a statement.&nbsp;

"By the defendant's own admissions, he brutally stabbed his own father repeatedly until he was certain he was dead."

When officers arrived at the scene, Scully-Powers jumped from a second-story window, police said, attempting to flee on foot.

He ran to a nearby deli and allegedly began pouring Dr. Pepper soda on himself in a bid to wash off the blood.

Police quickly apprehended him nearby, they said.&nbsp;

They also found evidence at the apartment, which Scully-Powers shared with his father, of apparent attempts to clean the scene, including a mop and bucket in the bathroom along with a blood-soaked bed sheet found in a garbage bag.

A Long Island man suspected of fatally stabbing his father on a live Zoom call confessed to the caught-on-camera killing after police found him trying to wash blood off his body with Dr Pepper, prosecutors said on Friday.

A Long Island man suspected of fatally stabbing his father on a live Zoom call confessed to the caught-on-camera killing after police found him trying to wash blood off his body with Dr Pepper, prosecutors said on Friday. Thomas Scully-Powers, 32, was arraigned via video and ordered jailed without bail after pleading not guilty to a murder charge in the attack on Long Island, New York, on Thursday that left 72-year-old Dwight Powers nearly decapitated as horrified call participants scrambled to dial 911. Also read: US church sues Zoom app after 'zoombombing' of bible study session Such virtual meetings have become ubiquitous during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing people to see and talk to each other in groups without the risk of physical proximity. Because many meetings are recorded as they unfold, there’s a chance prosecutors will be able to obtain video of the attack taking place. After his arrest, Scully-Powers told police he stabbed his father approximately 15 times in the back, neck and torso, switching knives because the blades were bending, according to prosecutors. Also read: A man was sentenced to death in Nigeria via Zoom app, inviting backlash The county medical examiner said Powers sustained multiple stab wounds to his chest and back, with one slash across his neck nearly decapitating him. The murder took place in the town of Amityville, known in particular for the horror book series bearing its name and related film, which came out in 1979. "This is a shocking and disturbing case," Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a statement. "By the defendant's own admissions, he brutally stabbed his own father repeatedly until he was certain he was dead." When officers arrived at the scene, Scully-Powers jumped from a second-story window, police said, attempting to flee on foot. He ran to a nearby deli and allegedly began pouring Dr. Pepper soda on himself in a bid to wash off the blood. Police quickly apprehended him nearby, they said. They also found evidence at the apartment, which Scully-Powers shared with his father, of apparent attempts to clean the scene, including a mop and bucket in the bathroom along with a blood-soaked bed sheet found in a garbage bag.

New Yorker confesses fatally stabbing dad during Zoom chat

A church in San Francisco has sued the video calling application Zoom after&nbsp;a hacker allegedly infiltrating a virtual Bible study class to post graphic images of child abuse.

A hacker took over users' computers and played "sick and disturbing videos", according to the lawsuit filed by the Saint Paulus Lutheran Church, one of the oldest churches in the city.

Its 6 May bible study class was hacked by a "known offender, one who has been reported to the authorities multiple times," as per authorities.

In the suit, the plaintiffs accuse Zoom of "prioritizing profit and revenue over data protection and user security" and are seeking damages for negligence, invasion of privacy and violations of California state consumer protection and privacy statutes among other things.

The San Francisco church's leaders contacted Zoom for help, but the company "did nothing", the suit says.

In a statement, a Zoom spokesperson disputed the church's claims that it did not immediately take action following the incident.

"Our hearts go out to those impacted," the company said, "On the same day we learned of this incident, we identified the offender, took action to block their access to the platform and reported them to the relevant authorities."

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing people to stay at home, many have taken to Zoom to virtually attend school classes, work meetings or just connect with friends.

But as the video conference app surged in popularity, the FBI has said that it received&nbsp;multiple reports of "Zoombombing,"&nbsp;in which calls were hijacked by individuals who share&nbsp;"pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language."

The company pointed to its "recently updated security features", adding that Zoom users should not widely share meeting access and passwords "as appeared to be the case" with the church group.

Zoom's CEO Eric Yuan apologized&nbsp;for the company's shortcomings last month.

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</ul>

A church in San Francisco has sued the video calling application Zoom after a hacker allegedly infiltrating a virtual Bible study class to post graphic images of child abuse.

A church in San Francisco has sued the video calling application Zoom after a hacker allegedly infiltrating a virtual Bible study class to post graphic images of child abuse. A hacker took over users' computers and played "sick and disturbing videos", according to the lawsuit filed by the Saint Paulus Lutheran Church, one of the oldest churches in the city. Its 6 May bible study class was hacked by a "known offender, one who has been reported to the authorities multiple times," as per authorities. In the suit, the plaintiffs accuse Zoom of "prioritizing profit and revenue over data protection and user security" and are seeking damages for negligence, invasion of privacy and violations of California state consumer protection and privacy statutes among other things. The San Francisco church's leaders contacted Zoom for help, but the company "did nothing", the suit says. In a statement, a Zoom spokesperson disputed the church's claims that it did not immediately take action following the incident. "Our hearts go out to those impacted," the company said, "On the same day we learned of this incident, we identified the offender, took action to block their access to the platform and reported them to the relevant authorities." With the coronavirus pandemic forcing people to stay at home, many have taken to Zoom to virtually attend school classes, work meetings or just connect with friends. But as the video conference app surged in popularity, the FBI has said that it received multiple reports of "Zoombombing," in which calls were hijacked by individuals who share "pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language." The company pointed to its "recently updated security features", adding that Zoom users should not widely share meeting access and passwords "as appeared to be the case" with the church group. Zoom's CEO Eric Yuan apologized for the company's shortcomings last month.

US church sues Zoom app after 'zoombombing' of bible study session

If there is one app that has shot to fame during the lockdown period, it’s the video-conferencing app zoom. By now, many of you must be using the app for professional or personal reasons. Not just adults, even school children in various countries are using it for their online classes. While the app is becoming popular, it’s also receiving a lot of flak. There are many questions surrounding the controversial app, and here are the answers:

Why are so many people using Zoom app for video calls? 
&nbsp; 
During the lockdown period, video calls have increased on all messaging platforms including Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts, but Zoom has turned out to be a star. The reason behind its growing popularity is simple. It’s easy to use and free for a fair amount of time. Most importantly, it can accommodate a large number of people at a time. It lets as many as 100 people simultaneously attend a video-conference and allows 40 minutes of free time. In fact, Zoom has lifted the 40-minute limit on free accounts for teachers in many countries. The cherry on top is its interesting interface. One of the zoom settings allows users to change the backdrop image, which means user can hide what’s really behind them. 
&nbsp; 
What’s wrong with Zoom app? 
&nbsp; 
Now that the app is being heavily used and offering users a lot of interesting features, what could possibly be wrong with it? Why are users worldwide criticising it? It’s not too tough to guess the reason. The app is being slammed over security and privacy issues.

Firstly, Zoom isn’t fully end-to-end encrypted, which means the shared content is not protected between users. Third parties such as the company itself may have access to it. It’s a little strange to not have a fully encrypted service in times when old products like Whatsapp and Facetime are offering end-to-end encryption.

Secondly, many users have complained of hacking attempts during the ongoing sessions. Miscreants have intruded the livestreams, showed obscene images and made lewd remarks. This act of hijacking meetings on Zoom is also referred to as zoombombing. In other words, “Zoombombing” is when uninvited participants interrupt a video meeting and try to derail it.

The concerns around the app are so severe that Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Google have even banned their employees from using the app. 
 
WATCH: Zoom app: Should you be using it? 
&nbsp;

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Should you use the Zoom app?&nbsp;

Now comes the next important question - if there are security-related issues with the app, should you still be using it? 
&nbsp; 
It’s true that Zoom has addressed vulnerabilities in the app and apologised for its security lapses. The company, in fact, says it will continue to take stringent measures to make the service more secure. Whatever said and done, if you still need to use the app then here are some best practices so that you are not hacked during zoom meetings. 
&nbsp; 
1. Share your meeting IDs carefully. Never post them on social media where everyone can see it. 
&nbsp; 
2. Make your meetings password protected. it will prevent unwanted attendees from breaking into livestreams 
&nbsp; 
3. Hosts can decide that no one joins a meeting before them 
&nbsp; 
4. Lock your meetings once everyone has joined. Once done, no other person can then be part of the meeting. 
&nbsp; 
5. Turn off screen sharing for participants. It will help stop would-be hackers from showing offensive content during meetings. 
&nbsp; 
All in all, follow these best practices and be careful. But if you don’t want to use zoom anymore, note that there are other alternatives too - such as Skype, Microsoft Teams, Facebook &nbsp;Messenger, Google Duo and Facetime for Apple users. You can figure out your needs and accordingly pick one of them.

If there is one app that has shot to fame during the lockdown period, it’s the video-conferencing app zoom. By now, many of you must be using the app for professional or personal reasons.

If there is one app that has shot to fame during the lockdown period, it’s the video-conferencing app zoom. By now, many of you must be using the app for professional or personal reasons. Not just adults, even school children in various countries are using it for their online classes. While the app is becoming popular, it’s also receiving a lot of flak. There are many questions surrounding the controversial app, and here are the answers: Why are so many people using Zoom app for video calls? During the lockdown period, video calls have increased on all messaging platforms including Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts, but Zoom has turned out to be a star. The reason behind its growing popularity is simple. It’s easy to use and free for a fair amount of time. Most importantly, it can accommodate a large number of people at a time. It lets as many as 100 people simultaneously attend a video-conference and allows 40 minutes of free time. In fact, Zoom has lifted the 40-minute limit on free accounts for teachers in many countries. The cherry on top is its interesting interface. One of the zoom settings allows users to change the backdrop image, which means user can hide what’s really behind them. What’s wrong with Zoom app? Now that the app is being heavily used and offering users a lot of interesting features, what could possibly be wrong with it? Why are users worldwide criticising it? It’s not too tough to guess the reason. The app is being slammed over security and privacy issues. Firstly, Zoom isn’t fully end-to-end encrypted, which means the shared content is not protected between users. Third parties such as the company itself may have access to it. It’s a little strange to not have a fully encrypted service in times when old products like Whatsapp and Facetime are offering end-to-end encryption. Secondly, many users have complained of hacking attempts during the ongoing sessions. Miscreants have intruded the livestreams, showed obscene images and made lewd remarks. This act of hijacking meetings on Zoom is also referred to as zoombombing. In other words, “Zoombombing” is when uninvited participants interrupt a video meeting and try to derail it. The concerns around the app are so severe that Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Google have even banned their employees from using the app. WATCH: Zoom app: Should you be using it? × Should you use the Zoom app? Now comes the next important question - if there are security-related issues with the app, should you still be using it? It’s true that Zoom has addressed vulnerabilities in the app and apologised for its security lapses. The company, in fact, says it will continue to take stringent measures to make the service more secure. Whatever said and done, if you still need to use the app then here are some best practices so that you are not hacked during zoom meetings. 1. Share your meeting IDs carefully. Never post them on social media where everyone can see it. 2. Make your meetings password protected. it will prevent unwanted attendees from breaking into livestreams 3. Hosts can decide that no one joins a meeting before them 4. Lock your meetings once everyone has joined. Once done, no other person can then be part of the meeting. 5. Turn off screen sharing for participants. It will help stop would-be hackers from showing offensive content during meetings. All in all, follow these best practices and be careful. But if you don’t want to use zoom anymore, note that there are other alternatives too - such as Skype, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, Google Duo and Facetime for Apple users. You can figure out your needs and accordingly pick one of them.

Should you be using the video-conferencing app Zoom?

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

zoom-app-not-safe

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