Zoom vs. uShare – Find The Best Video Conferencing Software
Due to privacy allegations, companies are seeking alternatives to Zoom. Looking for the best video conferencing software? Here’s the best of zoom competitors.
COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be Christmas for Zoom as the app’s users skyrocketed in just a couple of months. Zoom just hit a triple as the surge in active users was acknowledged since December 2019. With all eyes on Zoom and an astonishing demand proliferation, some critical flaws in the service were also exposed.
People were skeptical about Zoom’s privacy issues even before the COVID-19 pandemic as the app has been sharing its users’ data with other services like Facebook and LinkedIn. Despite the feature being allegedly disabled by Zoom after stark criticism, one can’t help but wonder if they’ve actually flipped the switch off.
Now, companies and privacy enthusiasts are actively searching for alternatives to Zoom as there were many downsides of using the app which professionals realized in time.
Zoom has been reportedly considered as the source of numerous leaks caused by storing personal information and not having end-to-end encryption. Zoom has been using Transport Layer Encryption which makes the app susceptible to leaks and unauthorized access of information. This isn’t something that has been plotted by Zoom’s competitors. Zoom brought this upon itself.
Most of the users consider Zoom as the best video conferencing software because it’s free. Notwithstanding, it is your privacy that pays the price. Your personal information such as pictures and email addresses can be accessed via Zoom’s company directory.
Primarily, the use of Transport Layer Encryption enabled Zoom to access confidential information such as audio or video conversations during meetings which could be shared with anyone as per the company’s discretion. However, the security layer made Zoom vulnerable to hackers and trolls.
Zoom’s CEO was actually forced to publicly apologize because of the app’s encryption and security issues.
Lately, companies using Zoom as a remote collaboration software have fallen victim to trolls wandering the Internet. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s not just the companies that have gone under lockdown, it’s the people as well.
The phenomenon is called Zoom-bombing where trolls have been randomly joining meetings and disturbing the participants. All this has been caused by minimal confidentiality associated with the service – giving companies another reason to look for Zoom alternatives and competitors.
A recent incident reported was during a Zoom video conference call hosted by Casey Newton (The Verge) and his investor Hunter Walk. The session was infiltrated by a troll who victimized dozens of attendees by sharing inappropriate imagery. The host had to end the call as each time he kicked the troll out of the meeting, he would come back with more vulgar content.
It may seem complicated to pull-off something like this, but in reality, it isn’t. All that person did was access Zoom’s company directory to retrieve meeting information such as the invitation link. Nevertheless, there’s a process to disable Zoom’s company directory from storing your personal details but that feature is only available to paid users. So much for the best free video conferencing software, eh!
Zoom admittedly accesses and stores below-mentioned information of anyone who uses their service as an online video conferencing solution:
Zoom has been experiencing a backlash, not only from its users but also from the federal government, pertaining to its privacy and security flaws. Zoom’s privacy loopholes have compromised the online security of millions around the globe. Zoom has been subjected to multiple federal investigations in the US along with different lawsuits filed against the company. Maybe it’s time to take your online privacy a bit seriously.
The Indian government recently advised its employees not to use Zoom as it was “not safe”.