Washington, DC — Consumer Reports is pleased that Zoom has changed course and is now planning to offer end-to-end encryption to all users. This decision to raise the privacy and security standards for its services could have a domino effect that will benefit users and the marketplace.
Justin Brookman, Director, Privacy and Technology Policy, for Consumer Reports, said, “It’s good to see Zoom reverse its decision to only allow paying customers to have their conversations safeguarded with end-to-end encryption. Security shouldn’t be a luxury just for those who can afford it. I hope others in the industry will follow the example of Zoom in giving all users the same ability to communicate privately and securely.”
Consumer Reports now calls on other videoconferencing services, such as Cisco’s WebEx, to follow the example of Zoom. Privacy and security features should not come with a price tag. To access Zoom’s end-to-end encryption, individuals will need to provide basic information such as a phone number for authentication. However, any information collected for authentication purposes should not be shared with third parties or for any other purposes.
“We’ve seen other tech companies abuse credentials that were provided by users for security reasons,” added Brookman. “Zoom should commit to not using phone numbers provided for authentication for marketing or related purposes.”
Media Contact: Cyrus Rassool, cyrus.rassool@consumer.org