Buzz
The shared data includes app opening times, location and device information, network provider, and analytical data that can be used to create targeted ads. The reason Zoom can share user data with Facebook, even when there's no linked account, is because the video calling app uses Facebook's Software Development Kits (SDKs). Therefore, upon download and use, Zoom immediately connects to the Facebook Graph API.
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This is nothing new: developers have long been using Facebook SDKs to enhance app features, although Facebook's terms of use require app developers to notify users about these data-sharing practices.
While Zoom's privacy policy mentions that the app may collect data related to users' Facebook profiles, which may then be shared with third parties (although Facebook is not explicitly referred to as a third party), there are no clear indications that it will do the same for users without Facebook accounts.
Not the First Time
Zoom has a history related to privacy issues. In 2019, a security researcher uncovered a vulnerability allowing the hacking of Zoom users' webcams without their knowledge, although the company claimed the issue had been resolved.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently explained how a Zoom call host can control the activities of participants when screen sharing. If users record a video call, Zoom administrators can 'access the content of that recorded call, including video files, audio, transcripts, and chat files, as well as have access to sharing, analytics, and cloud management privileges.'
While old security issues have been addressed by Zoom, this new discovery highlights how simple technological solutions sometimes come at the cost of privacy.
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