Zoom to Pay 97.9 Billion KRW in Class Action Lawsuit Over Personal Data Privacy Violation

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Video conferencing platform company Zoom has agreed to pay $85 million (approximately 97.9 billion KRW) as a settlement for a class-action lawsuit filed by users claiming privacy violations, major foreign media reported on the 1st (local time).

According to the reports, Zoom announced this news in a statement on the same day, saying, "Protecting users' personal information is our top priority," and "We feel a heavy responsibility for betraying users' trust." However, it did not admit any wrongdoing related to the privacy violations.

Earlier, Zoom was sued by users who claimed that their personal data was shared with Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and others, and that Zoom neglected to prevent hacking incidents known as "Zoom bombing," thereby infringing on personal privacy.

Zoom bombing refers to hackers infiltrating Zoom meetings to post obscene content or racist messages.

Under this settlement, Zoom will pay paid users who participated in the class action either 15% of their subscription fee or $25, whichever is greater, and will pay free users $15.

Additionally, Zoom plans to strengthen personal information security measures, such as displaying warning messages when Zoom meeting hosts or participants use other applications during meetings, and will provide special training to internal employees.

The settlement has not yet been approved by Judge Lucy Koh of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose, who is overseeing the lawsuit.