Online meeting application Zoom: Is it a miracle or a “technology virus” in the isolation period?

Since the outbreak of the COVID epidemic, computer screens and phones have become the only window connecting our world. Through this small perspective, we see a whole life behind the camera: daily activities, daily space … Thanks to software like Zoom, we have many views to life. of people around than before.

Until a few months ago, Zoom was just a small tech company. But until now, Zoom has been everywhere. From hospitals, schools, to the Prime Minister of England, while in special room care also use. Zoom had more customers last month than what it had done all year before.

We cannot help but be surprised at Zoom’s tremendous growth. When there are countless outstanding software such as Viber, Google, Skype .. in the online meeting market, Zoom from an anonymous name becomes a leading name.

Where does the miracle come from?

A common response of people when asked why is using Zoom: “Because it is easy to use”. Even Zoom’s competitors responded. Jim Mercer – employee at GoToMeeting also admitted that: “One click and we were able to participate in the meeting with 25 others”. And even the competitors wonder: What has Zoom done to create this remarkable convenience?

Zoom’s response in July last year attracted a lot of attention in the security community for the wrong reasons. When everyone thought Zoom had a very secure security system before the pandemic took place. Until Leischuh – Security expert in Germany discovered that Zoom had secretly installed the software to bypass security mechanisms to make it easy for users to install. This pays for hackers to easily steal information and steal users. Worse, even if you have already uninstalled Zoom, the software errors and tracking will still remain on our tool. From here, we can understand how Zoom brings “usability” is not comprehensive for users.

Within 3 days of discovering Zoom’s security bug, Apple implemented a silent mode update for all Macs to encourage users to remove the software. According to TechCrunch, Apple has never before taken “public actions against popular software” such as Zoom software.

Princeton University professors call this the “Security Disaster” along with a multitude of “horror” features to steal Facebook information even if users don’t log in with Facebook and tell the meeting owner that the person Participants do not focus on the meeting. One of Zoom’s privacy provisions for users is that Zoom reserves the right to use “customer information” for advertising purposes. To put it bluntly, “Zoom has the right to directly take videos during a personal call and sell them as an ad.” This is probably something that no one will notice when reading the security mode. In addition, according to Harvard research, Zoom has a series of issues related to software bugs, monitoring and a series of suspicious choices from Zoom that heavily affect users.

For security professionals, Zoom is more like a “virus” than a “useful software”. When you set up Zoom, it installed itself before you decided to press the “install” button. Like a virus, it silently enters your computer through careless moments. When we fight the external disease virus, we ourselves let this security virus attack our personal life.

Not only that, Zoom publicly lied to customers through the notice on their website. Identify that Zoom applies End-to-End Encryption (data encryption only for participants to understand and use). In fact, when applying this type of encryption, the case where the user can easily use is not so. While Zooming for End-to-End Encryption is a public software feature, they can’t do it by nature.

The result of this deception is a series of use bans from the US Department of Defense, SpaceX, Apple, Google, NASA and universities … Even the FBI also recommends that users should not use it. Zoom.

A series of major newspapers around the world mention the serious error of Zoom from New York Times, Guardian, Washington Post, BBC …

Zoom – Loan Software

No one believes that Zoom will become successful in a fierce competition market with a series of big competitors: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Cisco. In the opinion of investors, “Perfection – is a must for this software to survive”. And for those who have ventured to invest in Zoom, they believe that Zoom can handle errors made by Skype, Webex.

Zoom was founded by Eric Yuan – software engineer who worked at Webex. In 2007, Cisco acquired Webex and made Eric Yuan the technical team leader. After 3 years of working, Eric commented, “Webex is not really good enough to meet user needs.”

Creating a video meeting is not easy when the software must meet a series of requirements: support for all tools, unstable wifi networks, stable transmission lines when many people participate … Just a small error such as disconnection, blur … was enough to annoy customers.

Eric Yuan left Cisco and built a company that created video calling software to solve these problems. He hired a Chinese development team and called 30 former colleagues to work for his company. Senior management at Cisco (Eric Yuan’s former company) called Zoom “” a loan from Cisco. ”

Outrun the big bosses with easy-to-use features. While working at Cisco, Yuan predicted: “Someone will create software (Video Call) that uses cloud computing and will destroy Cisco.” And it’s none other than Yuan, who does this.

Google Hangout was deemed unreliable, Apple brought Facetime that was considered obsolete for users, Microsoft’s Skype was considered to be of poor video quality. Finally, all this application is restricted to users.

Users vs Zoom – Who has control?

Many customers are forced to download Zoom to watch broadcasts or attend company meetings, instead of using the online link. The answer to this constraint on Zoom’s users is that they want to pursue large corporate customers. Most companies require very high security and minimize the outside can interfere. But in this case, Zoom is the one who hacks the system.

The convenience of Zoom is also the way they control users. Technology developed on a large scale is difficult, but to control technology will be even more difficult. When users are used to using an effective, easy and fast software, it will be difficult for them to switch to using a new product that requires more steps. Besides, in an era of economic austerity, why do companies have to pay to buy another technology when they can already use what is available.

Easy, handy – Why not use Zoom?

When Zoom identified itself as software for companies, it approached single customers for a long time. The various free forms and countless features unrelated to the needs of customers are companies, such as: virtual wallpapers, changing shapes, …

Instead of reaching customers through advertising, Zoom reaches us through word of mouth marketing. If you ask anyone, it’s rare that people use other software such as Skype, Google Hangout, Webex … but when it comes to Zoom, everyone knows it. Even if there are countless other better software such as Highfive, Zoho….

When the popularity of Zoom made even people using other software, forced to become guests of Zoom. Imagine if you are a loyal Skype user and do not want to change to Zoom because of security, but how when your whole company uses Zoom. And in fact, most of us emphasize convenience rather than security, which Zoom uses to overcome long-time rivals in the market.

Zoom – Will soon become WeWork 2.0?

It is worth mentioning here, if not to mention the security issue, Zoom can be considered a good product in the technology world. Zoom was criticized when it chose to use personal videos for the benefit of advertising – a purpose not really necessary.

Because of the problems related to security, communications … Zoom has lost a large number of customers. People are gradually finding alternative software even after Zoom has announced it will launch Webinar (web-based online video conference). Once again Eric Yoan – Zoom founder affirmed that the top of the feature will be effective, convenient, safe and reliable.

From another perspective, Eric Yuan wanted Zoom to be developed in the direction of “Bring joy to everyone” as on the website. But the way Zoom came to us is no different from WeWork – or in other words, soon to fade. Zoom became the focus of discussion and criticism. So far, Zoom was born to meet the needs of those who are not passionate about technology and just need to use it easily. A series of large press faces turned to Zoom, the praising articles turned into mockery. Forbes can be said, from the article praising “The Art of Maintaining Zoom’s Development” and now has moved to “The reason why we should avoid using Zoom”

When Zoom met all the public needs, from the people and even the people in the government, Zoom easily accessible in an “dishonest” way to all customers. So here is what Zoom will do next?