Zoom Video Communications agreed to pay USD 85 million and improve 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 via 'zoombombing'. The preliminary settlement still requires approval by US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, Reuters reports.
Subscribers in the proposed class-action settlement would be eligible for 15 percent refunds on their core subscriptions or USD 25, whichever is larger, while others could receive up to USD 15.
Zoom agreed to security measures including alerting users when meeting hosts or other participants use third-party apps in meetings, and to provide specialized training to employees on privacy and data handling. The company denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.
Zoom said in a statement that "privacy and security of our users are top priorities" for the company, and "we take seriously the trust our users place in us. We are proud of the advancements we have made to our platform, and look forward to continuing to innovate with privacy and security at the forefront."
Zoombombing is where outsiders hijack Zoom meetings and display pornography, use racist language or post other disturbing content. The company took several steps last year already to improve its security features and prevent the practice. Koh said Zoom was "mostly" immune for zoombombing under the federal Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability over user content.
