Zoom reaches settlement in class-action lawsuit over ‘Zoombombings’: Do you have money coming?

Notable virtual meeting bloopers during pandemicZoom calls, man. We’ve all been there. Here are some of the biggest fails and funniest moments from a year of virtual meetings during quarantine.Staff Video, USA TODAYRemember the mad scramble to lock down all the Zoom video conferences and remote classes with passwords to keep random miscreants from popping in uninvited? Well, Zoom has reached an agreement in a class-action lawsuit over how it handled user data and reports of “Zoombombings.”According to documents detailing the proposed settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California, Zoom will pay $85 million to go toward a fund for participants in the class-action suit.As part of the proposed settlement, Zoom will also agree to changes “designed to improve meeting security, bolster privacy disclosures, and safeguard consumer data,” reads an excerpt from the documents.Zoombombing settlement: Who gets the money? If you used Zoom over the past five years – meaning even before the pandemic made us all into Zoom users – you may be able to claim a piece of the settlement. The class-action settlement applies to all Zoom users who accessed Zoom between March 30, 2016 and the date of the settlement, which awaits approval from Judge Lucy Koh.If you had a paid account, you will get 15% of the money you paid to for your subscription or $25, whichever is higher. And if you used the free version, without a Zoom subscription, you may make a claim for $15.►Social media: YouTuber dies after falling off Italian mountain while filming video, reports say►Robot police dogs?Robotic police ‘dogs’ have privacy watchdogs worriedThe class-action lawsuit stems from claims of how well Zoom represented the security and privacy for users of its platform, which surged in popularity as more Americans worked remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In the suit, Zoom was accused of improperly sharing user data without permission through third-party integrations with companies including Facebook and Google.The complaint also cites “Zoombombings,” incidents where random uninvited people would disrupt a Zoom meeting. In one example of a “Zoombombing,” a California church’s bible study meeting was ambushed with pornographic images.In July 2020, Zoom rolled out several privacy updates including stronger encryption and adjusted settings to require users to have a passcode or link to enter a meeting by default.”The sudden and increased demand on our systems was unlike anything most companies have ever experienced,” said Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan in a blog post published last year.In a statement emailed to USA TODAY, Zoom said it is proud of the advancements made on its platform, and look forward to continue innovating with privacy and security in mind.Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.


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