You’re not getting end-to-end encryption on Zoom for free
Zoom will not give free users end-to-end encryption so that it can work with the FBI, which sounds more nefarious than it probably is.
Twitter users called to banish Zoom after Bloomberg reporter Nico Grant tweeted a quote from Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan, from yesterday’s earnings call:
“Free users, for sure, we don’t want to give that [end-to-end encryption]. Because we also want to work it together with the FBI, with local law enforcement, in case some people use Zoom for a bad purpose.”
A Zoom spokesperson later clarified that the company only provides information to law enforcement in “circumstances like child sex abuse,” which is a problem; the FBI reports that it’s received over 195 reports of child abuse videos broadcast on Zoom over the past few months. Zoom explained to Recode that paid subscribers must hand over identifying information, while free users offer only an email, which isn’t sufficient to identify potential predators.
