• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Jobs
  • Career
    • Cyber Security Training
    • Work from Home
    • Cyber Security Analyst
    • Remote Work – Six Ways to Keep Your Data Safe When Working Remotely
  • Field Guide
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Deals
  • News
AskCyberSecurity.com

AskCyberSecurity.com

Cyber Security News & Information

  • Home
  • Data Privacy
    • Gamers
    • Government Cyber Security
      • Legislation
      • Standards
        • What are the risks of computer security?
        • Medical Cyber Security
    • Social Media
  • Security
    • Data Breaches
    • Scams
      • Identity theft
    • Malware
      • Ransomware
  • Software
    • Apps
    • Web Browsers
  • Glossary
    • Cyber Security Acronyms
  • About Ask Cyber Security
    • Authors
    • Contact Us
  • VPN
    • How Do I Know If My VPN is Working?
    • Best Free VPN iPhone
    • Why Use a VPN?
    • NordVPN vs IPVanish
    • Private Internet Access Download
    • Best VPN for Streaming
      • TikTok VPN
    • VPN Porn
    • Computer Security Software – What You Really Need
  • Tutorials
AskCyber Home » News » News » Saturday Sitrep: Zoom Allows Chinese Censorship

Saturday Sitrep: Zoom Allows Chinese Censorship

2020-06-13 by Max

Zoom is once again in the news, not for a data breach, but for giving in to demands from the Chinese government to stop a Zoom call commemorating the Tiananmen Square Massacre. The call was hosted by an account out of Hong Kong and joined by others from around the world, including the United States. Zoom banned all of the accounts involved in the call at the request of the Chinese government. This raises several questions, the first being: how did the PRC know that the call was taking place, and which account was hosting it? It’s possible that the call was public, or more than likely, the vast domestic surveillance apparatus caught wind of the call as we know the term “Tiananmen” is a term that’s been flagged in the past. We also know that the PRC steps up its monitoring efforts near important events, such as the date of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, which occurred on June 4th, 1989.

More concerning, Zoom not only banned accounts in China but those in the United States as well. These actions generated an angry response from the US Senate, which accused Zoom (which is an American company) of prioritizing profits over the principles of the country they’re founded in. Zoom responded to the outrage by saying that they did not have the ability to differentiate accounts by their location, which seems far-fetched as within a few hours they announced that moving forward they would be able to do so and would not ban accounts outside of the country demanding action.

This is not the first time that Zoom has found itself facing the ire of the senate, as Nancy Pelosi previously expressed distrust of the company, referring to Zoom as a “Chinese entity.” While Zoom is an American company, it’s development staff are primarily located in China. The security of their product has been called into question, on suspicion that any data put onto the platform would be accessible to the Chinese government, something that the US Senate would certainly like to avoid.

As the use of Zoom has increased, it has repeatedly been criticized for its poor security, data breaches, and calls being taken over by malicious actors. India and Taiwan have banned any use of Zoom for government reasons, with the United States and Germany limiting how it may be used. Presumably, Zoom is acceptable for conversations not involving sensitive information. The PRC’s ability to request the takedown of the accounts involved with the call speaks to a serious invasion of privacy, something that should concern anyone who uses or is considering using the platform. What you say is being monitored on the platform, and who knows who might be listening in?

Filed Under: News Tagged With: China, Zoom

About Max

Max is a Data Privacy Coordinator at a major global law firm and a science fiction author residing in the Philadelphia area. He has been writing for https://www.askcybersecurity.com since early 2017.


LinkedInTwitterFacebook

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

We Don't Share or Sell Your Info

Web Browsers

Where Are My Saved Passwords in Chrome?

Google Removes 70 Malicious Browser Add-ons from Chrome Web Store

Firefox 75 Reports Your Browser Settings to Mozilla

511 Tactical

WHAT TO SHOP NOW

Shop

Safeguard Your Money with a VPN

Beat the Stock Market! - Get Rule Breakers!

Malwarebytes Anti-Virus is On Sale!

Shop Kaspersky Anti-Virus

Cyber Security Field Guide

Computer Security While TravelingGet Our Cyber Security Field Guide - Available on Amazon!

Recent Posts

Fake eBay Notification Scam Steals Big Money

Principal Security Consultant – AWS

NJCCIC Announces Alice in Cyberspace 2021

Email Service Cuts Off Gun Rights Nonprofit

Security Engineer – Amazon

Categories

Cyber Security News

Fake eBay Notification Scam Steals Big Money

… [Read More...] about Fake eBay Notification Scam Steals Big Money

NJCCIC Announces Alice in Cyberspace 2021

… [Read More...] about NJCCIC Announces Alice in Cyberspace 2021

PayPal Phishing Scam Steals Accounts

… [Read More...] about PayPal Phishing Scam Steals Accounts

Gun Forum Booted by Domain Registrar

… [Read More...] about Gun Forum Booted by Domain Registrar

More Cyber Security News

Tags

amazon Android Apple bitcoin Career China chrome CISA credit card Cyber Attack Cyber security Data Breach data privacy DHS Equifax Facebook FBI Firefox FTC games GDPR Google Government hack hacker identity theft iPhone Iran IRS malware Microsoft North Korea PayPal phishing phishing email ransomware Russia scam smartphone TikTok tutorial VPN web browser WhatsApp WiFi

Government

FTC Releases Cyber Threat Video Playlist

Malware Found on US Government Funded Phones

UK NCA Reaches Out to Youth to Deter Cybercrimes

Texas DOT Hit by Ransomware Attack

More Posts from this Category

Footer

Menu

  • Home
  • About
  • Authors
  • News
  • Newsletter Signup
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Search

Why Use a VPN?

NordVPN vs IPVanish VPN Review

NAVIGATION

  • Data Breaches
  • Data Privacy
  • Gamers
  • Scams
  • Malware

MEMBER NJCCIC

New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell

STAY CONNECTED

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • RSS

Copyright © 2021 · AskCyberSecurity.com · METRONY, LLC

Go to mobile version