Zoom Updates iOS App to Stop Sending Data to Facebook

[john-c]

Zoom, a video conferencing app that many people are using at the current time to keep in touch with coworkers while working from home, was sending data to Facebook without disclosing the data sharing to customers.

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The MacOS Zoom application also contacts FaceBook, not at launch but well into a session. Thankfully LittleSnitch detected this and allowed me to permanently block it.

Maybe an updated MacOS application is also required.

 

[Raist3001]

Zoom is the best videoconferencing tool available, hands down. It allows even to save PowerPoint (or whatever) presentations with audio and laser pointer as movies with a surprising small size. And now is free during the coronavirus pandemic for academic institutions like schools and universities.

google meet offers the same experience for Schools And is built into GSuite.

 

[tennisproha]

Respect to Zoom for acting on this swiftly. Message seems sincere that they really didn’t know.

 

[Powerbooky]

Facebook has gotten way to big, and is sucking way too much data from too many sources. They claim it's 'helpful', but it's obvious that the user is their product, and I'm glad I dumped them, but am concerned that my data is still being inhaled by them. There is no reason for Facebook to vacuum up that data. None at all...

BOYCOTT FACEBOOK!!!

Until ALL websites abandon FB login methods and any kind of other FB elements, FB will continue datamining.
Same goes for Google. But I know... lots of websites get money from those companies (in)directly.

Personally I would prefer that MR abandons FB and Google login immediately, or at least replace it with Apple's login method.

 

[Mr Lizard]

Facebook clearly discloses its data collection policies associated with the SDK in question. The devs seriously didn’t read this?

Zoom’s developers are either deliberately deceptive or grossly incompetent. After the Zoom desktop fiasco which left computers vulnerable to DoS attacks and created a backdoor to reinstall itself without the user’s permission, I’m betting on the former.

 

[MarkAtl]

I use Zoom. Works well. Have a separate login and password. If people use FB login it’s logical to assume they are grabbing what data they can.

 

[Tech198]

For a company they reckon have high standards with privacy, they do muck allot of it up.

I think the idea is doing this BEFORE adding it to the app store, not pulling it afterwards?

It's unbelievable companies can continue to get away with the default "We take this seriously" (....not really)

 

[I7guy]

For a company they reckon have high standards with privacy, they do muck allot of it up.

I think the idea is doing this BEFORE adding it to the app store, not pulling it afterwards?

It's unbelievable companies can continue to get away with the default "We take this seriously" (....not really)

This type of thing makes Zoom look terrible, even though it's really facebook that's underhanded. Apple also looks bad as they have no way of detecting this type of thing and Facebook just takes a further hit.

There have been those that have wanted alternative app stores. If this type of thing goes on in the app store with apple policing the apps that get approved, it's a harbinger of what would go on in alternative app stores.

 

[Saturn007]

"However, we were recently made aware that the Facebook SDK was collecting unnecessary device data."

Captain Renault: "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!" [A croupier hands Renault a pile of money...]

What rock have these developers been living under?!

Or, rather, who are they trying to kid?!

 

[scoobydoo99]

Wow, glad I was sitting down when I read this story.

Facebook must pay their people really, really well - otherwise no one could stomach working for them.

They do. The median Facebook salary is $240K.

 

[Digital Dude]

User ignorance I get, but how does a developer not understand that Facebook is going to be Facebook (offer something "free" and take data)?

Anytime I see a new app that says it's free, I try hard NOT to fall for it. I used to really like WhatsApp until FaceBook started playing games. They are no better than China when it comes to manipulating personal information

 

[Jimmy Bubbles]

It would be interesting to audit react to see what it may be "accidentally" sending to Facebook. Also even if it isn't sending anything now, once it is used in all web based apps, I'm sure Facebook will consider adding some "QoS" beacons into it. If you think about that most devs are just doing `npm install react-js`without considering what they actually get, having Facebook add bad things would be very easy to do. Or they could just start providing a minimised version "for end user convenience"

You're not wrong, considering the number of devs that may or may not roll their own dependencies. As a younger dev (going on 4 years), I've been trying to take better care to have a "why" behind using a dependency instead of it just because it's the newest, latest, and greatest.

 

[Tech198]

I was actually using zoom yesterday with my mates. First time i heard of it... But it's still good to know they didn't escape this..

This issue alone might even say it will stop me from using on iOS in future..
Once done, how do you know it won't happen again with the app?