Google announced to its employees that it would be banning them from using Zoom on their company computers because of potential security vulnerabilities.
“We have long had a policy of not allowing employees to use unapproved apps for work that are outside of our corporate network,” Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement to Buzzfeed News on Wednesday. “Recently, our security team informed employees using Zoom Desktop Client that it will no longer run on corporate computers as it does not meet our security standards for apps used by our employees. Employees who have been using Zoom to stay in touch with family and friends can continue to do so through a web browser or via mobile.”
Researchers have found that some Zoom calls from North America are being routed through Beijing. This week, the Taiwanese government banned the use of Zoom after their traffic was “mistakenly” routed to China.
The University of Toronto has pointed out that the company has hundreds of employees in China. “This arrangement could also open up Zoom to pressure from Chinese authorities,” the university concluded.
The group also said the company was using a “not recommended” level of secure encryption.
“We did not design the product with the foresight that, in a matter of weeks, every person in the world would suddenly be working, studying, and socialising from home,” founder of Zoom Eric Yuan said about security concerns.
Yuan admitted the company was “falling short” on security issues. “For that, I am deeply sorry,” he said.
