A billboard of Zoom app. (Photo| AP) 
Tech

Zoom's user base hits 300 million despite privacy issues

Zoom hit the headlines recently for a growing number of security and privacy concerns, but that has not stopped people from using the video conferencing app.

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SAN FRANCISCO: Video meet app Zoom has surpassed 300 million daily users globally, a 50 per cent increase over the 200 million users it had last month and significantly more than the 10 million members it had at the end of 2019.

The video meeting platform has seen a spike in users since the COVID-19 pandemic as millions have been forced to work from home.

"Clearly the Zoom platform is providing an incredibly valuable service to our beloved users during this challenging time," Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said in a statement.

"We are thrilled and honoured to continue to earn the trust of so many enterprises, hospitals, teachers and customers throughout the world," he added.

Zoom hit the headlines recently for a growing number of security and privacy concerns, but that has not stopped people from using the video conferencing app.

Set to release this weekend, Zoom 5.0 includes two new features to help Zoom users host secure meetings and protect their data.

One is support for 'AES 256-Bit GCM' encryption, which provides more protection for meeting data and greater resistance to tampering.

"Organizations will have access to GCM encryption with the release of Zoom 5.0, and a system-wide account enablement will occur May 30, when all Zoom customers will switch to the new cryptographic mode," said the company.

Hosts and co-hosts can now report users to Zoom's Trust & Safety team, who will review any potential misuse of the platform and take appropriate action. This feature will be within the Security icon in the meeting controls.

Earlier, Yuan apologized for the privacy and security issues or "Zoom-bombing" being reported in his app that has seen a surge in usage globally as people work from home during lockdowns.

Earlier this month, the company put a 90-day hold on new features to dedicate all of its resources to identifying and fixing security issues.

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