Zoom Users May Get $25 as Part of a Lawsuit Settlement Over Privacy Issues

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 03 December 2021, 11:12 am

Zoom announced that it had settled a class-action lawsuit over privacy and security issues suffered by its users. If you used the platform before July of this year, you could be eligible to get compensation.

The tech company has agreed to shell out $85 million, but it still denies the allegations and refuses to be held liable.

Zoom to Pay Users $25

Two groups are currently eligible to file a claim. If you paid for a Zoom Meetings App subscription between March 2016 to July 2021, you could file a claim for $25 or 15% of the rate that you paid for the subscription, which is greater. That excludes the add-ons as they are optional.

The second group has a much broader take on the matter. If you do not qualify for the first group, but you've registered, used, opened, or downloaded the Zoom app between the dates mentioned above, then you can file a claim for a total of $15.

However, if you have only used the Zoom app with a government account or an Enterprise-Level Account, you are not eligible to get anything from the settlement, according to The Verge.

Also Read: Zoom Lawsuit Settlement for 'zoombombing,' Privacy Issues; Public to Get as Much as $15

The claims must be submitted on or before March 5, 2022. You can file a claim online through Zoom's website, or you can fill up a claim form and mail it to the office. The claim form can be found on Zoom's website. It can be downloaded and printed.

However, the payment amounts may change depending on how many people submit claims, as Zoom has only declared $85 million as its settlement money. The court approved the settlement, and a final hearing of the case will be on April 2022.

The users who filed the lawsuit accused the tech company of sharing their information without their consent to third parties. The information were shared through marketplace apps.

The sharing of information is said to be unauthorized. It failed to prevent unwanted meeting disruptions by third parties and that Zoom misrepresented its encryption, which Zoom has since fixed, according to Business Standard.

Adding Automatic Update

After the lawsuit regarding the privacy and security of the app, Zoom has rolled out an automatic update in November that includes the latest features and security fixes. The update was given to all users of the app.

The automatic software update can now be accessed on Zoom's desktop version on macOS and Windows. However, it is not available for Linux. Mobile phones can be updated automatically through the app store, according to ZDNet.

Zoom said that automatic updates would be on by default for most users. However, users can change the frequency of the updates in Zoom's Settings. Under the General option, users can opt for automatic updates for the Zoom app.

Jeromie Clark, a Zoom technical product manager for security and privacy, said that the updates would be rolled out to all users when critical security updates are involved.

The Slow option is the default, and it has fewer updates as its focus is on stability. Meanwhile, the Fast option has the latest features and updates, and they are readily available.