Zoom admits user accounts suspended after Chinese government demanded it

Zoom Video Communications Inc on Thursday acknowledged that its decision for suspending accounts and ending meetings related to the anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square was taken after the Chinese government demanded it to do the same.

Earlier, the video-conferencing app temporarily shut three accounts belonging to three activists, one in Hong Kong and two in the United States after they held an event to mark the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident, which killed several pro-democracy protesters in China.

Sharing its statement on a blogpost, Zoom said the Chinese government had informed them about four large planned commemoration meetings and demanded they terminate the events and linked accounts.

The video-conferencing app decided to end three of those meetings and temporarily suspend the host accounts, the statement said, adding that the last meeting was not ended as it did not have participants from China.

Zoom said now it has reinstated all the accounts.

However, Zoom added that it did not share details of users or meeting content to the Chinese government, adding that it would in future not allow such requests from the administration which would impact users outside China.

Earlier, US-based Humanitarian China founder Zhou Fengsuo said his account was suspended by Zoom after he held the Tiananmen Square event.

The company said that it was updating its features so as to remove participants from a particular country on the basis of geography.

"This will enable us to comply with requests from local authorities when they determine activity on our platform is illegal within their borders," Zoom said.

"However, we will also be able to protect these conversations for participants outside of those borders where the activity is allowed."

(With Reuters inputs)