Update (10/04/2020): In a statement, Zoom said it’s in talks with US Senate offices to inform them about a tailored version of the app, specially made for governments:
We are in communication with US Senate offices and focused on providing the information they need, including about our tailored Zoom for Government offering, which is hosted in a separate cloud and meets the particular specifications of FedRAMP security policies, to make informed decisions about their policies.
Popular video conferencing app Zoom seems to be having a hard time convincing organizations that it’s secure to use. Just after Google banned its employees from using the app, the US Senate has forbidden its members from utilizing Zoom.
A report from the Financial Times noted that the Senate’s sergeant at arms has warned people against using the service.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported the Department of Homeland Security said in a memo that Zoom is responding to security concerns swiftly. Pentagon told FT that it’ll continue allowing its employees to use the service.
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Other governments across the world have also been concerned about using the app. Earlier this week, Taiwan prohibited all government employees from using it. German foreign ministry has also restricted Zoom’s usage.
Zoom has been amid controversy for various security and privacy mishaps. The company has taken some steps to bolster its security by hiring the former Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos, and freezing all features to focus on privacy updates.
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