CALL 916-777-7777
Youtube Facebook-f X-twitter Linkedin-in

Zoom Violates Consumer Privacy Rights

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in

NOTICE:
If you have downloaded, installed and opened the Zoom application, your privacy may have been violated. Contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777.

guy-watching-two-security-monitorsYou have probably heard of Zoom. Zoom Video Communications is a leading provider of video conferencing services that have recently become immensely popular throughout the United States with the onset of COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandates. Housebound consumers have flocked to Zoom and other web conferencing vendors, as a means of maintaining a sense of closeness with friends and loved ones and conducting business while following social distance measures.

The California-based company touts transparency regarding management of user data with a reassuring privacy policy that claims to identify and disclose to its users all of the information Zoom automatically collects from its users when they interact with Zoom products.

However, on March 26, 2020, journalist Joseph Cox published a report suggesting otherwise. The report documents unauthorized disclosure of user personal information to Facebook. The unauthorized information includes the users’ mobile operating system (OS) type and version, the device time zone, the device model and the device’s unique advertising identifier. The unique advertising identifier allows companies to target the user with advertisements. 

Zoom sends this unauthorized information to Facebook when a user installs, and each time a user opens, the application. This information is sent to Facebook by Zoom regardless of whether the user has an account with Facebook.

On March 27, 2020, Zoom admitted in a public blog entry that the Zoom App was sending personal information to Facebook upon installation and each open and close of the Zoom App. They further admitted that no adequate notice was provided to users for these unauthorized disclosures.

Also on March 27, 2020, Zoom released a new version of the Zoom App which claims to no longer send unauthorized personal information of its users to Facebook.

However, Zoom appears to have not blocked prior versions of the Zoom App from operating. Unless users happen to update their Zoom app, they will continue to unknowingly send unauthorized personal information to Facebook and perhaps other third parties.

Zoom has not offered to remedy the unauthorized disclosures made to date. Zoom has not ensured that Facebook or other third parties have deleted personal information received from Zoom without adequate notice or authorization by Zoom’s users.

If you have downloaded, installed and opened the Zoom application, you may have incurred unauthorized use of your personal information. The Arnold Law Firm is currently investigating this apparent violation of California’s consumer protection laws.

Contact us at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your situation and possible legal options.

Settlement - $3,767,000

Truck Accident

A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.

Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.

The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.

The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.