Paris (AFP)

The videoconferencing application Zoom, the use of which has exploded with the confinement in force in many countries, announced Thursday a strengthening of the security of its calls, after a dark week, during which it saw its reputation tarnished by a series of scandals.

With this update, the presenters of a videoconference on Zoom now have a "Security" function, which can quickly oust participants, limit their number, put them on hold, or avoid that they only share content.

The conversations identifier is now hidden, to prevent unwelcome visitors from being invited. The installation of a password is also proposed by default.

These measures follow a wave of "ZoomBombings" which accompanied the rapid expansion of the Californian application: thesis defenses, courses or religious ceremonies transmitted via Zoom were disrupted by pirate participants, broadcasting pornographic images or threatening words.

Companies and organizations such as the Red Cross are now warning their employees not to use it. In France, the interdepartmental digital department "strongly advises" against its use by civil servants. The giant Google has also advised against its employees, according to the trade press, like the United States Senate, according to the Financial Times.

Prosecutors from at least three US states (Connecticut, New York, and Florida) are investigating the company's privacy and security practices. The American media Vice also revealed that the application provides personal data to third parties, such as Facebook.

"We needed a third-party tool to manage our payments online," but "selling personal information was never part of our business model," said Zoom founder and president Eric Yuan on Wednesday.

Mr. Yuan hosted his first question and answer session, which he wants weekly, to try to get out of this crisis. He insisted, during this communication operation, on "Zoom's commitment to helping its users stay connected during this period of health crisis", as well as on its "efforts to reinforce the level of protection of privacy and the safety of its users. "

The app has also suspended the ability to share files, said its CEO. "We are focusing all our resources on the analysis of every corner, every line of code, every functionality, to verify that there are no security or privacy issues, and we we found a potential flaw in file sharing, "said Yuan.

© 2020 AFP