Zoom’s Inability to Secure Client Information Exposes Confidential Information of Class Members
SAN DIEGO (June 1, 2020): San Diego-based law firm Hartley LLP filed a class action complaint last month against online video communications platform Zoom Video Communications (Zoom) for the platform’s negligent data security practices which exposed the confidential information of its users.
Hartley LLP represents a putative class of individuals who purchased Zoom’s “Pro” plan and were unaware of the platform’s security deficiencies. Zoom recently exploded in popularity in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic’s social distancing requirements. Despite claiming “end-to-end encryption”—a method of secure communication that prevents third parties from accessing data while it is transferred from one end system or device to another —over a dozen different security and privacy problems with Zoom’s technology have been discovered.
“With so many meetings and social events taking place online right now, picking a platform that ensures the highest standard of data security is paramount for individuals and businesses alike,” said attorney Jason Hartley, Hartley LLP Founder. “Zoom’s overstatement of its security practices and misleading claims have compromised the private personal information of thousands of its users. Because of the platform’s inadequate security, every Zoom user was at risk of having their data exposed.”
In addition to issues with the platform’s end-to-end encryption capabilities, Zoom’s lack of proper controls has allowed private recorded meetings to be accessible online. Zoom has also been accused of leaking user information to third parties, like Facebook, without user consent, and the company also recently permitted several data breaches. The company further failed to curtail “Zoom-bombing,” namely the ability for anyone, including hackers, to participate in a public zoom meeting just by knowing the meeting number. According to the complaint, Zoom’s actions and insufficient data security controls and practices violated the California Unfair Competition law, the California Consumers’ Privacy Act and the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act. For more information or for a copy of the complaint, please contact Karen Korr at [email protected].
About Hartley LLP
Hartley LLP represents victims of anticompetitive conduct like price fixing agreements, unfair competition, tying agreements and monopolization. Its attorneys have worked to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for their clients. For more information about the firm, visit https://hartleyllp.com/results/.