Zoom, the video-conferencing app has experienced a huge surge in downloads since the coronavirus pandemic has affected the work chores worldwide. Zoom is now being used by millions of people around the world for business meetings, attending online classes and social gatherings.

Many leaders around the world are using this app to hold meeting with their teams.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared a picture, chairing a Cabinet meeting via the app.

Governments around the world must step up to help us defeat #coronavirus.

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I’ve announced a further £210m of aid funding for vaccine research following today's G20 call, meaning the UK is going above and beyond in the search for a vaccine.

➡️ https://www.bolnews.com/latest/2020/03/zoom-video-conferencing-app-sharing-your-data-with-facebook/amp/ pic.twitter.com/xLahX2PYyB

— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) March 26, 2020

Zoom Privacy Concerns

As the usage of the ZOOM video conferencing App rise it also led to questions, how secure it is?

A research conducted by Vice’s tech branch, Motherboard, has revealed that Zoom’s iOS app has been sharing analytical data with Facebook, even if the user doesn’t have an account on the social media platform.

The data being shared includes device and location information, time the app is launched, phone carrier, and analytics data which be used to   create targeted ads.

The reason Zoom data is shared with Facebook, even if there’s no linked facebook account, is because the zoom uses Facebook’s software development kits (SDKs). When video conferencing app is downloaded and launched, it connects to the Facebook Graph API.

Facebook’s policy about using its Software Development Kit (SDK) is clear: An app or website using SDK has to explicitly mention that your data is being shared with third-parties, including Facebook. Plus, it has to provide an option to opt-out of tracking. Zoom doesn’t address these points at all.

Zoom’s privacy policy mentions that the app collect data related to a user’s Facebook profile which may then be shared with parties – but Facebook is not mentioned as a third party – there’s no indication it will be doing the same for

Some old security issues have been resolved by Zoom, this new security breach highlights how simple technological solutions can sometimes come at the cost of privacy.