Zoom Video Communications Inc has agreed to pay $85 million to settle a lawsuit claiming the company violated users’ privacy rights by sharing their personal information with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn without their permission, and allowing hackers to interrupt virtual meetings by “Zoombombing.”
“Zoombombing” is the term used when an uninvited person joins a Zoom meeting. Last year its usage exploded because of the pandemic, describes unapproved attendees entering and disrupting Zoom calls by sharing offensive imagery, using backgrounds to spread hateful messages or spouting slurs and profanities.
The lawsuit, filed in March 2020 in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California.
A preliminary settlement was filed Saturday afternoon and now awaits approval from US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California.
The settlement could give eligible customers a refund of either 15% of the cost of a subscription or $25. Also as part of the agreement, the videoconferencing company said it’ll take extra measures to prevent hackers from disrupting meetings, which is known as “Zoombombing.” It’ll alert users when hosts or other participants use third-party apps in meetings and offer specialized training on privacy and data handling to employees.
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