In a move to restore the public’s trust in its privacy policies, Zoom recently updated its terms of service to clarify that it will not use audio or video recordings of its customers’ calls to train artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The move follows a period of criticism from the public and privacy advocates, who have been concerned with Zoom’s handling of user data.
In April of this year, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said the company was considering using customers’ recordings to build AI models. Shortly after, this possibility caused a stir in the privacy community. It was feared that this could potentially compromise user privacy, data security and the trust in Zoom services.
In response to the complaints, Zoom removed language from its terms of service that allowed for the use of recordings for AI purposes. Zoom also changed the language to clarify that AI would only be used to improve existing services, and that recordings would not be shared with third-parties.
These changes came after Zoom implemented enhanced privacy measures and data security improvements following reports of data breaches in April. Zoom made changes to its encryption and user authentication features to ensure that user data was not exposed to cyber criminals.
The company also added support for two-factor authentication for enterprise customers, and developed an app for end-to-end encryption for video calls. All of these changes were designed to give customers the assurance that their data was safe and secure.
Although Zoom’s updated terms of service does not guarantee complete privacy, it does provide comfort to those concerned about the use of user data. It is clear from these updates that Zoom has taken the concerns of customers seriously and is committed to protecting their privacy.
