While the video conferencing app has grown exponentially “during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the complaint documents, Zoom claimed to offer an end-to-end encrypted service.

But in March 2020, several plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit in California federal court.

They claimed that the app “inappropriately shared the data of its users without their consent”.

In particular, they highlighted the fact that Zoom shared their data with companies that use third-party software such as those of Facebook, LinkedIn Navigator or Google.

The out-of-court settlement, which awards $85 million in damages to the plaintiffs, has yet to be approved by federal Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California.

Zoom has also agreed to make “dozens of major changes in its practices in order to enhance meeting security (when implemented) and protect private data,” as stated in the memorandum of understanding.

In an email to AFP, a Zoom spokesperson said: “The privacy and security of our users are Zoom’s top priorities, and we take our users’ trust in us very seriously.”

“We are proud of the progress we’ve made on our platform and look forward to continuing to innovate by putting privacy and security first,” the spokesperson added.