As we all are stuck in our homes, due to the infamous COVID-19 virus, many of us used or at least heard of the video calling application called as Zoom. This app is available as free of cost to all the app stores and is also being used on laptop, tablets, mobile phones, etc. This videoconferencing software company that went public last year, is used mainly for meetings, webinars, hosting video calls and this video calling app has became quite popular across the globe as more and more workers are now working from home during the period of lockdown. Zoom is doing wonders in app stores that in android and iphone, it topped the charts of the most downloaded apps and it became so famous on mobile phones that it was ranked 2^nd only after the TiTok as the most downloaded app in the world. Zoom has been embraced by education worldwide for enhancing the quality of online teaching, encouraging students to engage in online classes or discussion. The reason zoom is so popular among the masses is that it makes it simple comparing to the other videoconferencing platform and it also offers the fastest way to get started for a meeting or for an online class. This application allows conference calls up to 100 attendees and 40 minutes free video call.

Now, in Supreme Court a PIL has been filed raising the concerns over privacy and security in relation this videoconferencing app.  This application got warned by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) that this video calling app’s usage is not safe for the users. The Cyber Coordination Centre (CyCord) of ministry of home affairs said in a new 16-page advisory that the “Zoom is a not a safe platform.”

The government’s warning arrives following the India’s nodal cyber security agency, Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-in), had warned against the vulnerability of this application. The agency also realized the important weakness of this video calling app which can allow users accessible to cyber attacks which also includes the leakage of sensitive office information to criminals.

Different News reports appeared highlighting privacy and security breaches caused by the Zoom application on some incident. In this view, the PIL filed in the Supreme Court says that, “It is pertinent to point out that the CEO of the respondent no.3 has already apologized publically and has accepted the app to be faulty in terms of providing a secure environment digitally which is against the norms of cyber security.” The security issue affects the whole nation, the petitioners say by adding that, due to the lockdown, portrayal to this effect cannot be created. Since the government has identified the threat which posed, it is known with the subject matter of the instant petition.

 Another issue raised by the petitioner refers to the accusation that Zoom enlists in data hoarding of the private user data and that it, “stores cloud recordings, instant messages, files, whiteboards, etc.” The new trend has been observed that is known as Zoombombing, where unknown and unauthorized persons sometimes join a Zoom session and performs indecent activities.

Unexpectedly, the usage of the app has increased during this lockdown and even the CEO of the company has accepted the company was not ready for such a rise in user influx. This application is neither prepared or was ready to handle the sudden rise in the number of its users, said by PIL.

The petitioner contends further that, this app violates right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. In this regard, it is submitted that data storage, access and collection without letting the user know is “nothing but infringing their fundamental right of privacy.”

Even the schools have stopped holding online classes through the app after the MHA’s direction and through whatsapp they are sending whatsapp recorded videos and assignments for the students during this lockdown. From, many teachers view, WhatsApp is not as useful as Zoom because zoom allows conference which allows them to hold the online classes for a batch of 30 to 40 students for two to three hours, which is not possible with whatsapp, which allows maximum of four people to go live at one point of time.

In this new advisory, MHA has asked users, who would still wish to use Zoom application, has to follow certain guidelines for the safety purpose, which includes avoiding unauthorized entry in the conference room, preventing an unauthorized participant to carry out vicious activity.

The new guidelines has been reissued by the government after many users complained about situations of leaked passwords and hackers hijacking video calls midway through conferences.