Online conferencing outfit Zoom has agreed to pay $85 million to settle a lawsuit that claims the video communications platform violated the privacy of its users.
The lawsuit claimed that Zoom handed over data of users to Facebook, Google and LinkedIn. It was alleged that Zoom misled users by claiming it offers end-to-end encryption in its video calls and that it failed to prevent hackers from ‘Zoombombing’ calls, which sees them enter meetings they were not invited and includes cases of indecent images being streamed to participants.
Zoom denied it did anything wrong but has agreed to bolster its security.
But the preliminary settlement will still require approval from US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California. If approved, those subscribed to the class action would be eligible for either a 15 percent refund on their core subscription or $25, whichever is larger, while others could receive up to $15.
In a statement, Zoom said: “The privacy and security of our users are top priorities for Zoom, and we take seriously the trust our users place in us. We are proud of the advancements we have made to our platform, and look forward to continuing to innovate with privacy and security at the forefront.”
The lawsuit was first filed in March last year and the BBC reports that the plaintiffs’ lawyers also intend to seek $21.3 million in legal fees from Zoom.
