I came across this article, “Zoom Updates iOS App to Remove Code That Sent Device Data to Facebook”, by Kim Lyons. Almost every university it seems like has been using Zoom as their main way to connect to the students and hold classes. Of course with all of this usage on Zoom, it is a way for third party companies to gather up some data about us. Apparently, even if you do not have a Facebook account, Zoom has been sending your data to Facebook. Even though it was not personal data, it was data about your device and its usage, and even location. The CEO of Zoom, Eric S. Yuan,has apologized and ensured that he cares about the privacy of the users and has since changed the code so this will not happen anymore (Lyons 2020). I am happy they have made this change because I am sick and tired of people taking my data, we should be getting paid for our data!
Lyons, Kim. “Zoom Updates IOS App to Remove Code That Sent Device Data to Facebook.” The Verge, The Verge, 28 Mar. 2020, www.theverge.com/2020/3/28/21197967/zoom-ios-app-code-tracking-facebook.
Zoom usage has expanded exponentially ever since the remote learning period has started. It is not only being used by professors and students, but also by various business corporations, and for casual everyday video conferences among the masses. In my opinion, this has caused some major concerns regarding privacy and what Zoom is doing with all the collected user data.
Did you know, data collection by Facebook was never even mentioned in Zoom’s privacy policy, and yet they continued to do it. Apart from your device’s usage and location, especially for apple users, Zoom also collected information about users’ apple identifier for advertisers (IDFA). This is a unique ID for every device which allows companies like Facebook to monitor device usage and send targeted advertisements.
Zoom also comprised of a feature called attendee attention tracking, which basically informs the host of the video conference if the attendees have clicked away to look at something else. Although, I feel this is a good feature for the professors, as they can monitor if a student is being indolent or not. However, this can a serious issue in casual interactions, as your data is being collected regardless. On April 2, 2020, the CEO of Zoom, Eric S. Yuan announced that they have removed the feature as a reflection of their commitment to the security and privacy policies. Even though this a good thing, but as far as I know, they have still collected a substantial amount of user data prior to this removal. It is scary to know that zoom has data regarding the attention spans of people. I personally feel Zoom should strictly focus on updating their privacy policies and address the concerns of its users, as if not implemented, our privacy will have been long gone.
Mahdawi, A. (2020, April 1). Do you know how Zoom is using your data? Here’s why you should. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/01/do-you-know-how-zoom-is-using-your-data-heres-why-you-should
I ,as well, am happy that Zoom has made the change to stop sending data to Facebook. I believe that companies should at least ask for consent from user, if not pay user’s for it, instead of just taking it. User data is a high commodity within the ever growing tech world and companies can use it to their advantage. Because of this fact I think that there should be regulations on how companies get user data and where they can get it from. I think Zoom made the right decision not allowing Facebook to receive their data and I believe more and more companies will follow with the same decision.