The founder and CEO of Zoom has apologized to the video conferencing app’s millions of users after coming under fire for a host of privacy issues at a time when it has emerged as a vital social and professional lifeline for many.
“We recognize that we have fallen short of the community’s — and our own — privacy and security expectations,” Eric Yuan said in a blog post last week. “For that, I am deeply sorry.”
Zoom will stop adding new features for the next 90 days and instead focus solely on addressing privacy issues, Yuan said. The company will also release a transparency report, similar to the ones periodically shared by tech giants, which details requests for data or content from government authorities.
The coronavirus outbreak has seen millions of people ordered to stay in their homes flock to Zoom, which has garnered praise for its features and usability. Yuan said Zoom crossed 200 million daily meeting participants in the month of March.
People have used the video conference app for everything from brunches and birthday parties to religious events and even a UK cabinet meeting. But the spike in popularity has led the company to quickly find itself dealing with many of the issues that have plagued larger online platforms, particularly around privacy.
