Zoom Updates Terms of Service: Customer Content Will No Longer Train AI Models
Zoom, the popular video conferencing platform, has made changes to its terms of service to address concerns regarding the use of customer content for training its generative AI systems. The update comes after an earlier version of the terms seemed to grant Zoom perpetual royalty-free rights to customer video calls and presentations for AI model training. The software company announced the revised terms on Friday, clarifying its stance on the use of customer content without their consent.
In a statement, Zoom emphasized that it does not use customer audio, video, or chat content for AI training without explicit consent. Furthermore, it stated that such content will not be used in any manner related to generative AI development. These updates have been reflected in the company’s blog post and in-product notices. However, Zoom still retains ownership of service-generated data, including telemetry data, product-usage data, and diagnostic data.
The recent developments have raised concerns about the privacy of conversations held on Zoom. While the company assures users that their private conversations are not utilized for AI development, the centralization of data in platforms like Zoom leaves room for potential privacy breaches. The centralized data architecture means that user data is stored in a central server, making it an attractive target for hackers or subject to unauthorized use by the company itself.
Despite Zoom’s privacy-focused features like password-secure access and end-to-end encryption for call content, it is evident that all mainstream communication platforms with centralized architectures share privacy vulnerabilities. Those seeking maximum privacy may want to explore decentralized providers like Signal, which prioritize user privacy and security.
Zoom recently released two generative AI features, Zoom IQ Meeting Summary and Zoom IQ Team Chat Compose, which offer automated meeting summaries and AI-powered chat composition. These features operate on an opt-in basis and can be controlled through the administrator’s control panel under the user’s Zoom account.
While Zoom’s updates to its terms of service are a step towards addressing privacy concerns, the ongoing debate surrounding user privacy in centralized communication platforms is a reminder of the limitations of mainstream tech. For those seeking assured privacy, alternatives beyond big tech may provide more trustworthy solutions.
