Do you Zoom? Be aware of their connection with the Chicoms

by DCG

Ever since lockdowns due to the Wuhan virus, many started using the “Zoom” application for videoconferences and online chats.

Zoom was founded by Eric Yuan in 2011. Eric is a Chinese-American and became a billionaire when Zoom went public in 2019. The company is based in San Jose, California.

If you use Zoom, you should know about their STRONG connections to the Chicoms.

From Wikipedia:

“A large part of Zoom’s workforce is based in China, which has given rise to surveillance and censorship concerns.

The company has also been criticized for its privacy and corporate data sharing policies.

In March 2020, New York State Attorney General Letitia James launched an inquiry into Zoom’s privacy and security practices; the inquiry was closed on May 7, 2020, with Zoom not admitting wrongdoing, but agreeing to take added security measures.

In April 2020, Citizen Lab warned that having much of Zoom’s research and development in China could “open up Zoom to pressure from Chinese authorities.”

Pressure from the Chicoms? ‘Ya don’t say.

Well, that’s EXATLY what happened recently.

Axios reported on June 10 that Zoom “closed account of U.S.-based Chinese activist “to comply with local law.”

AKA: They complied with the Chicom’s request. From the Axios story: “The U.S. video-conferencing company Zoom closed the account of a group of prominent U.S.-based Chinese activists after they held a Zoom event commemorating the 31st anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen Square Massacre. A Zoom spokesperson confirmed to Axios that the account had been closed “to comply with local law” and said it had now been re-activated.”

Read the whole Axios story here.

Then there’s this, from The Intercept (from this past April): “Zoom’s Encryption Is “Not Suited for Secrets” and Has Surprising Links to China, Researchers Discover.”

I’m challenged when it comes to computer stuff so I won’t pretend to understand everything in the Intercept article. Some excerpts:

“Meetings on Zoom, the increasingly popular video conferencing service, are encrypted using an algorithm with serious, well-known weaknesses, and sometimes using keys issued by servers in China, even when meeting participants are all in North America.

They (researchers) conclude, in a report for the university’s Citizen Lab — widely followed in information security circles — that Zoom’s service is “not suited for secrets” and that it may be legally obligated to disclose encryption keys to Chinese authorities and “responsive to pressure” from them.”

Read the whole story here.

The Department of Defense doesn’t trust Zoom and the Chicoms; they’ve banned the use of Zoom.

What I DO know is that I’d stay far, far away from Zoom. Chicoms are no doubt watching your every move.

DCG