Zoom Now Says End-to-End Encryption Will Be Available for All Users

[MacRumors]

In a U-turn by the popular videoconferencing platform, Zoom this week announced it will make end-to-end encryption available to all users, both paid and unpaid.

...we have identified a path forward that balances the legitimate right of all users to privacy and the safety of users on our platform. This will enable us to offer E2EE as an advanced add-on feature for all of our users around the globe -- free and paid -- while maintaining the ability to prevent and fight abuse on our platform.

To make this possible, Free/Basic users seeking access to E2EE will participate in a one-time process that will prompt the user for additional pieces of information, such as verifying a phone number via a text message. Many leading companies perform similar steps on account creation to reduce the mass creation of abusive accounts. We are confident that by implementing risk-based authentication, in combination with our current mix of tools -- including our Report a User function -- we can continue to prevent and fight abuse.

End-to-end encryption ensures no one but the participants and their devices can see and hear what is happening in a meeting, although it will exclude people who call in to Zoom meetings from a telephone line.

Zoom has attracted millions of free and paying customers amid the global health crisis, with stay-at-home measures causing a surge in the number of people working remotely.

Zoom originally said its initial decision to offer full encryption to premium users only had been based on "a combination of technological, safety and business factors," however in this case it appears as though public pressure won out and led the company to reconsider.

Apple already uses end-to-end encryption to protect FaceTime users as call data travels between two or more devices. Even Apple can't decrypt the call and listen in to user's conversations.

Article Link: Zoom Now Says End-to-End Encryption Will Be Available for All Users

 

[ruka.snow]

Sensible to bake it in as a default. It is becoming an expected feature.

 

[TiggrToo]

It's interesting to note, just as comparison, that while free WebEx accounts can have E2E encryption turned on, it requires reaching out to tech support to enable it.

Sounds like Zoom are going to go beyond what WebEx supports here and have it enabled either out the box or via the GUI.

 

[vmistery]

You have to give some credit to Zoom for really trying to turn things around, because of the attention they have recieved I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being more secure than other options.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

Had to shame them to do it.

 

[woocintosh]

Zoom makes my system ruin, so I have to restart my mac after using it.... anyone else ?

 

[ian87w]

You have to give some credit to Zoom for really trying to turn things around, because of the attention they have recieved I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being more secure than other options.

Ture, although it's sad that this much scrutiny is needed for them to actually do things properly.

But still, it's all for the better. I'm more comfortable using Zoom now. Let's hope their integrity is intact once the attention is moving elsewhere.

 

[PsykX]

Zoom makes my system ruin, so I have to restart my mac after using it.... anyone else ?

I couldn't tell about Zoom, but when I do screen sharing on Skype for Mac, it lasts 1-3 minutes before it hangs with a beach ball and then it crashes.

I can't wait until my job switches to Teams, but what scares me is it's yet another Microsoft product lol

 

[TiggrToo]

Zoom makes my system ruin, so I have to restart my mac after using it.... anyone else ?

Nope. Never had that issue.

 

[Piggie]

Excellent.
But why does almost everyone seem to jump up and down and get upset when Facebook/Mark says they may do the same there?

 

[The Stig]

They are lying.

They said before when it was going to be for paying customers only that they can let law enforcement monitor calls.

It's not End to End, but point to point. Which is better than nothing, and isn't necessarily bad. But it's not end to end encryption.

 

[Sasparilla]

Zoom has been caught over and over saying one thing and then doing something else, whether its installing a server on their Mac product that stayed after uninstalling and kept sending user data back to Zoom, or routing user traffic through China, or saying they had end 2 end encryption when they didn't. Their developers are located in China for the cost savings (I'm sure the Chinese govt likes it as well).

There are plenty of other alternatives out there folks with real End 2 End encryption - these guys compete with Zuckerburg for saying one thing and doing something shady, over and over again.

 

[neuropsychguy]

There are plenty of other alternatives out there folks with real End 2 End encryption - these guys compete with Zuckerburg for saying one thing and doing something shady, over and over again.

There are not "plenty of other alternatives", especially with free accounts, unless by plenty you mean a few. End-to-end encryption is not the norm for video conferencing software, especially software that can manage hundreds of participants.

 

[BornAgainMac]

They know if they didn't do it now, someone would take away their market later.

 

[Yammabot]

E2EE should be the standard for all communication. No exception!

 

[icanhazmac]

Zoom has been caught over and over saying one thing and then doing something else, whether its installing a server on their Mac product that stayed after uninstalling and kept sending user data back to Zoom, or routing user traffic through China, or saying they had end 2 end encryption when they didn't.

THIS!

Way too many sketchy moves by ownership/management for me to ever trust this company, never thought I would actually trust a Google product more.

 

[I7guy]

This is welcome news.

THIS!

Way too many sketchy moves by ownership/management for me to ever trust this company, never thought I would actually trust a Google product more.

I personally trust them and am not worried there is some nefarious or incompetency going on. To each their own I guess. They are simply the best combination of features, functions and now security, imo.

 

[Airforcekid]

This is welcome news.

I personally trust them and am not worried there is some nefarious or incompetency going on. To each their own I guess. They are simply the best combination of features, functions and now security, imo.

After they banned any accounts that talked about the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre I was done with them. It also explained all the .cn domains I was seeing on my PiHole.

 

[icanhazmac]

After they banned any accounts that talked about the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre I was done with them. It also explained all the .cn domains I was seeing on my PiHole.

WOW! Didn't know about this:

Zoom Promises To Do Better After Banning Tiananmen Square Protests—Then Builds Tech To Help China’s Censorship

Zoom reinstates accounts of Tiananmen Square commemoration organizers, but is creating tech to ensure mainland Chinese users can be censored.

www.forbes.com

I am not in favor of but I understand the censorship bit, if you want to do business respect the local laws, but banning a paid for account outside of China?!?! Zooms seems to be hand in hand with the Chinese government.

Gotta love the Pi-Hole! Found my stupid surround sound head unit pinging the intarwebz once a minute to see if it had a connection.... seriously?

 

[satchmo]

Bad optics. This should have done this at the outset. It was pretty easy to read the room (pun intended).

 

[julianchan123]

Should a company that's initially intended to harvest or censor user data be trusted? Especially one under control of CCP.

 

[DotCom2]

I just don't trust this company at all and I have turned down several invites of which I wish I could have joined. The fact that it took public pressure for them to do the right thing just bothers me. And now they also want a phone number? Um no. I guess having your identity stolen and having to go through that ordeal has left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[I7guy]

I just don't trust this company at all and I have turned down several invites of which I wish I could have joined. The fact that it took public pressure for them to do the right thing just bothers me. And now they also want a phone number? Um no. I guess having your identity stolen and having to go through that ordeal has left a bad taste in my mouth.

100% of people that I communicate with use zoom. So while a few might have some idealogical issues with Zoom, my anecdotal experience is that it is the go to Video conference service.

 

[luvbug]

Zoom is the Video Conferencing app preferred 1M-to-1 by leading authoritarian governments worldwide, with their catchy slogan "Just Trust Us ...", why worry? Signal (cross-platform) or FaceTime for me, personally.

 

[DotCom2]

100% of people that I communicate with use zoom. So while a few might have some idealogical issues with Zoom, my anecdotal experience is that it is the go to Video conference service.

Isn't that how Facebook started?