If you use Zoom, you may be eligible to receive a payment from this company thanks to a class action lawsuit. which says the meeting platform violated users’ privacy rights.
Because of this, Zoom agreed to pay $ 85 million to settle the lawsuit which noted that the company shared its users’ personal information with other tech giants such as Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn without having permission to do so.
By sharing this data, there were hackers who were able to enter virtual meetings. This practice was known as ‘Zoombombing’.
The settlement the company reached with the plaintiffs has yet to be approved by a United States district judge in San Jose, California, and this ruling is scheduled to be released on October 21.
In case the judge approves the agreement, Affected Zoom customers may receive a refund of 15% of the subscription cost of the service or up to $ 25.
So if you used or downloaded the Zoom app for personal use between March 30, 2016 and July 30, 2021, you have a high chance of being eligible for a refund. This also includes people who were enrolled in the service for free.
Please note that people who used the service through a business or government account will not be eligible.
If you used the service between the period already described and paid for a Zoom account, you could receive 15% of what you paid for the subscription during that time or $ 25 dollars. They will give you the amount that is greater.
If you used the service using a free Zoom account, you can claim $ 15, although in these cases the amount may change depending on how many people claim reimbursement.
If money is left over, it will be given to the non-profit organizations Electronic Frontier Foundation and Electronic Privacy Information Center.
If the judge approves the settlement in October, you will be notified by email or post to provide your name, address, and claim number for reimbursement.
In this matter, according to CNET, a Zoom spokesperson stated: “The privacy and security of our users are the main priorities of Zoom, and we take seriously the trust that our users place in us. We are proud of the progress we have made on our platform and look forward to continuing to innovate with privacy and security at the forefront. “
Zoom saw a spike in its use during the pandemic, and is currently preparing to keep its users in a COVID-19-free scenario.
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