Video chat and conferencing apps have surged in popularity amid the shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, but they are facing renewed safety and privacy concerns.
Standard Chartered bank has instructed its employees not to use videoconferencing app Zoom over privacy and security concerns, according to «Reuters,» which viewed an internal memo sent by chief executive Bill Withers, which also warned against using Google Hangouts for virtual gatherings.
Among the security concerns, Zoom is facing is the lack of end-to-end encryption of meeting sessions, routing of traffic through China and zoombombing, when uninvited guests crash meetings.
According to experts quoted in the report, these apps offer less encryption than Cisco’ Webex, Microsoft’s Teams, or Blue Jeans, which are typically used in the financial services industry.
Standard Chartered is the first major global bank to ban the use of Zoom, as the use of digital communications tools surged after lockdowns were enforced to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
According to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, its daily users reach 200 million in March, a twenty-fold increase over the previous maximum
Among its measures to quell the global backlash against its perceived flaws, Zoom appointed former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos to advise it on safety and privacy matters.
Singapore schools, which have moved to home-based learning, suspended the use of Zoom last week after hackers posted obscene images on screens. This follows Taiwanese and German governments’ curbs, as well as the New York public schools system, of the videoconferencing app.
The Ministry of Education has since resumed the use of the app, after implementing enhanced security protocols, including centrally managing default security settings and consolidating security settings so they can be more easily activated.