Zoom has announced the release of Zoom 5.0, the new version of the video calling app that brings with it many news, especially as regards privacy
The boom in downloads and installations before, the problems and the rain of criticism after, a new app to put things right now. Things have happened in the last forty days in San Jose, California, where Zoom Video Communications is based, the developer of the now well-known video conferencing app Zoom.
The same Zoom that, before the quarantine, almost nobody knew, and that now use 200 million people in the world. The same Zoom for which the term ” Zoom bombing ” was coined that is the intrusion in the video conferences of others to disturb and pronounce vulgarity. The same Zoom that ” accidentally ” passed its users’ data through Chinese servers (and if a data moves from a server in China, then the Chinese government can put its eyes on it). Now comes the update to Zoom 5.0 and, according to the developer, everything changes: more controls for privacy, against zoo bombing and, above all, encryption finally suitable to protect the data of 200 million users.
Zoom 5.0: what changes
The main novelty introduced by the 5.0 version of the Zoom app is the AES-256 GCM encryption, which is finally able to protect user data by encrypting both the connection with truly sophisticated cryptographic keys to be deciphered. The introduction of this encryption standard will take place gradually, by May 30th. Control Data Routing is also on the way, that is, the possibility for the meeting administrator to decide from which servers to pass the data flow. All the security settings will then be accessible by clicking on a single icon. The use of a robust password will then be mandatory for almost all meetings, especially those recorded in the cloud.
Zoom 5.0: features against zoo bombing
To counter the phenomenon of zoo bombing, Zoom 5.0 comes the obligation for those who enter someone else’s meeting to go through a Waiting Room. The admin, however, will have the opportunity to report an account if it behaves in a harassing way. The report will be reviewed by an internal Zoom team, which could go as far as the ban on the harasser’s account.
Zoom 5.0: how and where to download it
Zoom 5.0 is not yet there: it has only been announced but not yet released to the public. As soon as it is available, it can be downloaded at https://zoom.us/download (or on the Google and Apple stores, for mobile apps). At the moment the latest version of Zoom available is 4.6.12, which does not yet have all the new features described.
