Beware: Zoom App Shares Your Personal Data With Facebook Without Your Permission

With the whole world under lockdown due to COVID-19, people are working from home and trying to stay productive.

Reuters

And one of the most popularly used apps by them is Zoom for video conferencing. The app is not only simple to use but has a set of features that has made it a favourite among the work-from-home community across the globe.

However, a recent report by Vice has revealed that this beloved video conferencing app has been sending data to Facebook without the user¡¯s consent -- even if you don¡¯t have a Facebook account.

This issue is specifically seen on the iOS app of Zoom. Every time you open the app, it sends user data to Facebook -- this data includes the device the user is using, along with network service provider, time zone, city as well as a unique device identifier. The last one is used to target ads.

Now Facebook isn¡¯t at fault here as its policies strictly mention that the app or website using Facebook¡¯s SDK has to mention it to its users that their data will be shared with the social media giant.

This isn¡¯t the first time Zoom has caused privacy concerns. Last week, Electronic Frontier Foundation also pointed out that the host of the call can monitor activities of its users. The video conferencing app has access to IP address, location data and device information of each participant during a call.

Reuters

It could also access the contents of that recorded call, including video, audio, transcript, and chat files, as well as access to sharing, analytics, and cloud management privileges.¡±

Does this mean you should quit using Zoom entirely?

Not really. These vulnerabilities have been spotted on the Zoom app. However, you can still use the browser-based app, which can be used on phones, tablets or even desktop computers, which are slightly safer.