Blumenthal Calls for Answers From Zoom on Privacy & Safety Concerns
“Parents, patients, and families should not have to worry that their children’s information, their health condition, or their private discussions are being used for advertising and other unintended purposes.”
[WASHINGTON, DC] – With millions of Americans turning to video conference platform Zoom to stay connected amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) called on the company to provide clear answers about its consumer data privacy rules and safety practices.
“The millions of Americans now unexpectedly attending school, celebrating birthdays, seeking medical help, and sharing evening drinks with friends over Zoom during the Coronavirus pandemic should not have to add privacy and cybersecurity fears to their ever-growing list of worries,” Blumenthal wrote in a letter to Zoom CEO and Chairman Eric Yuan. “Zoom has a troubling history of software design practices and security lapses that have posed significant risks to the privacy and safety of its users.”
Blumenthal demanded answers from Zoom about its handling of personal data, pointed out numerous security lapses and troubling software design practices, and asked for assurances about how the company protects its users from abuse they encounter on the platform by April 14, 2020.
The full text of the letter is available here.
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