US investigates Zoom app after users complain about porn hacks

Amid lockdowns and stay-at-home guidelines due to coronavirus pandemic, the popularity of video conferencing platform Zoom skyrocketed in the past few weeks. However, the app laid bare the privacy loopholes after employees working from home were startled with porn during meetings which forced the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to look into the issue.

New York attorney general’s office reportedly sent a letter to Zoom asking the measures the California-based company has taken to handle the increased traffic and to heighten the security to thwart hackers. The office has raised concerns about the current security practices and the vulnerability of the app’s privacy given the surge in traffic.

Some of the users took to Twitter to highlight the issue they faced during meetings where the trolls hijacked the screen-sharing feature to interrupt the meetings.

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Digital surveillance

Reports of digital surveillance by governments to trace the cases of coronavirus and contain its spread have also raised concerns over privacy, and rights activists believe that it could be the next victim of coronavirus. “Governments around the world are demanding extraordinary new surveillance powers intended to contain the virus’ spread,” said Electronic Frontier Foundation in a blog post.

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The San Franciso-based non-profit digital rights group said that such extraordinary powers would invade privacy and deter free speech. It demanded the governments show that the use of such powers would be proportionate and based on science to combat the ongoing crisis. It opposed the use of some of the technologies for surveillance calling it extremely invasive and dangerous.

“If the public grants such powers to the government, these powers must expire when the crisis ends, contain strict anti-bias rules, and be subject to strict safeguards and audits,” the group said.

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