Security News > 2020 > June > U.S. Officials 'Alarmed' by Zoom Cooperation With China
United States House representatives last week sent a letter to Zoom to demand explanation for the communication platform's decision to close the accounts of U.S.-based Chinese activists.
Last week, Zoom confirmed that, at the request of the Chinese government to block four June 4 meetings that were illegal in the country, it closed the accounts of three individuals located outside China, namely Lee Cheuk-yan, Wang Dan, and Zhou Fengsuo.
Following these actions, Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers sent a letter to Zoom, to question the video communication platform's data privacy practices and its relation with the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.
Zoom's willingness to collaborate with the Chinese government, the Committee leaders wrote, is alarming, especially since researchers found Zoom encryption keys on servers in China, and the company admitted that data on users had been routed through China earlier this year.
They ask the video conferencing platform to reveal whether it shares any data it collects on Americans with the Chinese Communist Party or Chinese state-owned entities, whether it has data sharing agreements with the Chinese, if such information is maintained and stored in China, and to identify other examples where Zoom has taken directions from the Chinese government.