Zoom implements end-to-end encryption for both free and paid users



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San Francisco, Oct 27 (IANS): The Zoom video conferencing application has made its new end-to-end encryption (E2EE) feature available to users around the world, free of charge and for a fee, for meetings of up to 200 participants.

This optional feature is available immediately as a technical preview, meaning the company is proactively soliciting user feedback for the next 30 days, Zoom said Monday.

“We are very proud to bring Zoom’s new end-to-end encryption to Zoom users around the world today,” said Jason Lee, Zoom’s director of information security (CISO).

“This has been a highly requested feature from our customers and we are excited to make it a reality.”

The highly sought after security feature is available in version 5.4.0 of the Zoom desktop client for Mac and PC, the Zoom app for Android and Zoom Rooms, with the Zoom iOS app pending approval from the Apple App Store.

When users enable E2EE for their meetings, no one except each participant, not even Zoom’s meeting servers, has access to the encryption keys that are used to encrypt the meeting, the US-based company said.

Account administrators can enable this feature in their web panel at the account, group and user level.

It can also be locked at the account or group level. If enabled, the host can turn end-to-end encryption on and off for any given meeting, depending on the level of security and the level of functionality they would like.

In phase one, meeting participants must join from the Zoom desktop client, mobile app, or Zoom Rooms for end-to-end encryption-enabled meetings.

Zoom first announced its plans to build an end-to-end encrypted meeting option on its platform in May.

The US-based company had said that since it released the platform’s end-to-end encryption design draft on May 22, it has engaged with civil liberties organizations, child safety advocates, experts in encryption, government representatives, their own users, and others. to collect your feedback on this feature.

Zoom was previously sued by one of its shareholders who alleged in the complaint that the platform did not disclose some vulnerabilities and that the services did not provide end-to-end encryption.

As a technical preview, Zoom hopes to collect information from customers about their experiences with end-to-end encryption.



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