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Following the revelation by Motherboard on Friday (March 27) that Zoom was sharing user information with Facebook via its iOS app, the popular video conferencing service has rolled out an update for iOS users.
Zoom has removed the data-sharing code from the app, telling Motherboard in a statement that the âLogin with Facebookâ feature was implemented âin order to provide our users with another convenient way to access our platformâ.
That login feature â found on several apps â is applied by using a Facebook SDK (software development kit) that connects users of the app to Facebookâs Graph API (Application Programming Interface) when the app is launched. The SDK can then share information with third parties, even if a user doesnât have a social media account with Facebook.
Facebook requires app makers to share this information with users in privacy policies, however Zoomâs made no explicit mention that the social media company would have access to user data if there was no linked account.
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[li]The best video conferencing software[/li][li]How to video chat with friends and family on your phone[/li][li]How to hide your background during video conferencing[/li][/ul]
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Zoom says it was ârecently made aware that the Facebook SDK was collecting unnecessary device dataâ and has since removed the code and an updated version of the iOS app is now available on the App Store.
According to Zoomâs statement to Motherboard, the app did not share any sensitive information, like user names, emails and phone numbers, but âincluded data about usersâ devices such as the mobile OS type and version, the device time zone, device OS, device model and carrier, screen size, processor cores, and disk spaceâ. This coincides with Motherboardâs findings from last week.
Motherboard has since tried out the updated iOS app and found that Zoom has, indeed, stopped sending data to Facebook when the app is launched.
In the âWhatâs Newâ section of the app, Zoom says that, despite the Facebook SDK being removed, users will still be able to log in with their Facebook accounts if they have one. Users have been recommended to update the app to enable the changes.
Zoom has issued an apology for the âoversightâ and the company says it âtakes its usersâ privacy extremely seriouslyâ.
[ul]
[li]How to use Zoom video conferencing[/li][/ul]
Continue readingâŚ
Zoom has removed the data-sharing code from the app, telling Motherboard in a statement that the âLogin with Facebookâ feature was implemented âin order to provide our users with another convenient way to access our platformâ.
That login feature â found on several apps â is applied by using a Facebook SDK (software development kit) that connects users of the app to Facebookâs Graph API (Application Programming Interface) when the app is launched. The SDK can then share information with third parties, even if a user doesnât have a social media account with Facebook.
Facebook requires app makers to share this information with users in privacy policies, however Zoomâs made no explicit mention that the social media company would have access to user data if there was no linked account.
[ul]
[li]The best video conferencing software[/li][li]How to video chat with friends and family on your phone[/li][li]How to hide your background during video conferencing[/li][/ul]
Stay updated
Zoom says it was ârecently made aware that the Facebook SDK was collecting unnecessary device dataâ and has since removed the code and an updated version of the iOS app is now available on the App Store.
According to Zoomâs statement to Motherboard, the app did not share any sensitive information, like user names, emails and phone numbers, but âincluded data about usersâ devices such as the mobile OS type and version, the device time zone, device OS, device model and carrier, screen size, processor cores, and disk spaceâ. This coincides with Motherboardâs findings from last week.
Motherboard has since tried out the updated iOS app and found that Zoom has, indeed, stopped sending data to Facebook when the app is launched.
In the âWhatâs Newâ section of the app, Zoom says that, despite the Facebook SDK being removed, users will still be able to log in with their Facebook accounts if they have one. Users have been recommended to update the app to enable the changes.
Zoom has issued an apology for the âoversightâ and the company says it âtakes its usersâ privacy extremely seriouslyâ.
[ul]
[li]How to use Zoom video conferencing[/li][/ul]
Continue readingâŚ