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Zoom won't encrypt free calls so it can work with the FBI


steven36

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The FBI will be able to snoop on your free Zoom calls, unless you pay for the company’s premium service, which offers end-to-end encryption.

 

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In brief

  • Zoom is building end-to-end encryption for its video calls, but only for its premium users.
  • The decision to keep free calls encrypted was in order to comply with the FBI.
  • Zoom may allow users to verify their ID to get access to such encryption in the future.

 

Communications company Zoom has no intentions of adding end-to-end encryption to Zoom calls for its free users, in order to appease the FBI. Meanwhile, it is developing such end-to-end encryption for its commercial clients, thanks to its acquisition of Keybase last month.

 

"Free users for sure we don't want to give that because we also want to work together with FBI, with local law enforcement in case some people use Zoom for a bad purpose," Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said during a Zoom conference call on Wednesday.

 

Zoom has morphed into an indispensable service amid the coronavirus outbreak. With citizens in lockdown, the typical meetings of the 9-5 grind have migrated online. But while this has been a significant boon for the communications firm, it hasn't been without its pitfalls.

 

 

In recent months Zoom's security protocols have come under tremendous strain. This global stress test exposed a myriad of security issues and provoked privacy snafus in excess. In April, the company's claimed method of end-to-end encryption was deflated, as it was found that Zoom had access to unencrypted user data. Soon after, reports revealed that hackers could steal passwords from Zoom's vulnerable Windows client.

 

Zooming off

 

This news isn't sitting too well with some. Businesses have already started boycotting Zoom in opposition to the service's lack of privacy controls. Most notable was SpaceX, which banned its employee from using Zoom in April, citing "significant privacy and security concerns."

 

Now, after this latest apparent affront, others are jumping on the bandwagon.

 

"I just cancelled my @zoom_us subscription for my law firm, which I had recently purchased to assist with doing remote consultations with clients during the COVID-19 lockdown," tweeted attorney Joel Alan Gaffney in response to Zoom's announcement.

 

Journalist Adam L. Penenberg also condemned the move. "Because people who can afford to pay for Zoom don't commit crimes?" he quipped.

 

Nevertheless, according to a Zoom spokesperson speaking to The Independent, the company intends to provide end-to-end encryption to users who verify their identity. Whether this will extend to free users is unknown—but there may still be hope yet.

 

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Edion Gecos
12 hours ago, steven36 said:

"... we also want to work together with FBI, with local law enforcement ..."

 

I said it many times on various threads here, but F*CK Zoom! :fist:

For free, encrypted, and anonymous video calls use Jitsi Meet. And if you need more collaborative tools that are perfectly equal to zoom's functions, use other open-source software such as BigBlueButton.

Best and most secure if you can set up Jitsi and BBB on your own server like I did! :pirate:

 

 

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Jitsi meet is still not a end 2 end encryption, but very good otherwise...

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46 minutes ago, plb4333 said:

Jitsi meet is still not a end 2 end encryption, but very good otherwise...

Yes it does have E2E just you have to turn it on  .

 

Does Jitsi support end-to-end encryption?

The short answer is: Yes, we do!

 

You can turn on end-to-end encryption (e2ee) as long as you are using Jitsi Meet on a browser with support for insertable streams. Currently this means any browser based on Chromium 83 and above, including Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Brave and Opera. You may also use our Electron client, which supports it out of the box.

 

All you need to do is select the “End-to-end Encryption” option in the overflow menu and then make sure that all participants fill in the same pass word or phrase in the Key field.

 


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Source Jitsi

 

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