Zoom is becoming an essential service for millions of Americans who are self-isolating in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, but hackers are using the tool for their own agendas.
Internet trolls are ‘Zoom-bombing’ calls by displaying pornographic and racists content while users hold work conferences, online teaching sessions and even alcohol anonymous meetings – leaving many to wonder just how secure the service is.
However, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan spoke with Good Morning America Wednesday to assure the public that privacy is of upmost importance to the firm and revealed features that will keep internet trolls at bay.
Yuan explained that users can create passwords for meetings, waiting rooms and lockdown each session in order to keep their calls safe.
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Internet trolls are ‘Zoom-bombing’ calls by displaying pornographic and racists content – leaving many to wonder just how secure the service is. However, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan s assure the public that privacy is of upmost importance
‘We take privacy very seriously and have privacy a policy and our intention is never to sell any customer data,’ Yuan said during a video interview.
‘After meetings are over we do not check anything.’
Digital break-ins on Zoom meetings are taking place across the nation as much of country is placed on lockdown and forced to resort to online video conferences to communicate to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 189,000 cases have been reported and the death toll has surpassed 4,000.
Yuan explained that users can create passwords for meetings, waiting rooms and lockdown each session in order to keep their calls safe
However, all trolls have to do is search the internet for links to video conferences and enter the calls to launch their sneering harassment.
‘There are things we can do every day to protect ourselves while using the platform,’ he said.
‘You need to understand the secure feature of about how to use Zoom.’
Those features include creating a password for each meeting, so only those attending can enter.
Users can also establish a waiting room for the group, allowing them to welcome in specific people and keep track of who is attending.
And for added safety, meetings can be lockdown once everyone is inside.
The Good Morning America interview comes at a time when Zoom is under scrutiny for privacy issues.
Users are complaining to the FBI about being bombarded with porn during meetings.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to the in-vogue California enterprise ‘with a number of questions to ensure the company is taking appropriate steps to ensure users’ privacy and security,’ a spokesman said.
He refused to give further information on the contents but added Tuesday that James’s office was ‘trying to work with the company’ to resolve any problems.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 189,000 cases have been reported and the death toll has surpassed 4,000
The investigation comes after the FBI’s Boston office warned on Monday that it had ‘received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language.’
The FBI listed two examples where hackers had ‘Zoom-bombed’ schools which have closed because of the deadly virus and which are now teaching classes online.
A Massachusetts high school reported that an unidentified individual dialed into the virtual classroom and yelled a profanity at the teacher before shouting the teacher’s home address.
Another school in the same state reported the appearance of an unknown person with swastika tattoos.
Using the hashtag ‘zoombombed,’ social media users have testified that they suddenly saw pornographic or racist images on their screens while using the app.
The FBI recommended that Zoom users make all meetings private and avoid screen sharing to combat would-be hackers.
Internet trolls have also hijacked Alcoholics Anonymous video conference calls and shouted slurs, made misogynistic comments and taunted members about the taste of alcohol.
The AA meeting for the New York Inter-Group Association, the regional division of the national organization, has been meeting remotely for the past week using the software Zoom to have video meetings in light of the coronavirus lockdown, which bans large gatherings.
During Tuesday’s meeting the members suddenly heard a man’s voice interject and shout anti-Semitic slurs and insensitive references to drinking, and boasting, ‘Alcohol is soooo good’, one group participant said, according to Business Insider.