Technology
Free users are not protected by FBI and the police for encryption, Zoom claims.
This week, video calling service Zoom has reported that end-to - end encryption is not feasible for free calls partially because the law enforcement agency needs to retain access to such calls if necessary. "We believe this feature should be included in our bid," Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said at a meeting with investors on Tuesday to qualified customers. "Private users — we definitely do not want to give [them] this because we want to cooperate with the FBI as well, in the event where some people use Zoom for bad purposes."
Encryption is the main problem for Zoom which, after heavy usage, has revealed weak points during the COVID-19 pandemic, has tried to improve privacy and security.
Last week Reuters confirmed that the company would only offer end-to - end high security encryption for customers paying, with potential exceptions for dissident or non-profit organizations needing additional security.
There's a debate around the industry about privacy rights without making finding illicit and harmful contents too difficult. Congress is now debating a bill which opponents can legally punish with social media encryption. Facebook proposals to allow end-to - end encryption in all its services were rejected by the Department of Justice.
Child protection lawyers also cautioned that abusers use zoom – along with other live video sites – to live stream violence by calling a federal prosecutor "Youtube of child pornography," and that a high degree of encryption is likely to make it difficult to locate material by moderators and police. Jon Callas, a fellow American of the Civil Liberties Union, described Zoom's decision as a way to 'remove the reefs' who connect to free calls anonymously.
Yuan emphasized that encryption often calls for practical compromise, as people can not dial items for an authenticated phone call. Too many business clients would probably not even use it. Nevertheless, his commentary also points to Zoom 's goal being to keep law enforcement in the loop.
