Three lawmakers in the U.S. have asked Zoom to clarify its relationship with China after the company suspended user accounts at the latter government’s request (via Reuters).
Zoom’s China Relationship
Zoom said China asked it to take action after activists held events through the app related to the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. Zoom complied and suspended the accounts of two users in the U.S. and one in Hong Kong. The accounts were restored after public outcry and media attention. Now Zoom is under scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers.
Representative Greg Walden of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the ranking member of a consumer subcommittee, sent a letter to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan. They ask him to clarify the company’s data practices because Zoom doesn’t protect free accounts with end-to-end encryption. Zoom has also routed its network traffic through Chinese servers.
“We appreciate the outreach we have received from various elected officials and look forward to engaging with them,” a Zoom spokesman said.