Increased Privacy Concerns
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has enforced many companies to ask their employees to work from home. Amidst this crisis, the zoom app has risen rapidly to popularity. People are attending meetings via zoom video calls. The reason behind the popularity of this app is that the app delivers a reliable video calling experience and a person who is not pro at video chatting apps can also run it comfortably.
However, over the last few days, news about the security and privacy concerns of the zoom app are increasing. The app has been endangering the customers’ privacy and security by sharing data with Facebook, exposing thousands of emails to strangers, and allowing access to private videos. Furthermore, the app is also not end to end encrypted. Thus many companies, organizations, institutions are now imposing bans on use of this app.
Related: Zoom Ranks Third on Forbes 2018 Cloud 100
Schools banning the app
In recent weeks, several school districts including New York city have begun distancing themselves from technology, opting for alternative products to facilitate remote education. Zoom app was being prominently used for the same. New York City’s Department of Education, which operates the largest school district in the country, directed teachers to stop using zoom. These new guidelines were issued after the FBI warned the public of potential “hijacking” of virtual classrooms and conferences.
Microsoft offers free Skype Video chat
Amidst the controversies around the zoom app, Microsoft has enabled Skype users with a Meet Now feature that works as easily as Zoom. Meet Now supports free video conference calls and doesn’t require a Microsoft account to get started. The Skype feature works directly in the browser, so the users don’t have to install the app. A button press in enough to create a free meeting and invite others. There is no limit on the video calls and the meeting link does not expire. Furthermore, Meet Now doesn’t care about the platform. It can work on any phone or computer. These features from Microsoft will pose a tough competition in front of the Zoom app.
