Zoom accused by FBI of surveillance against anti-China users

Zoom, the US-based video call service, has engaged in
suppressing voices critical of the Chinese government and those which discussed Tiananmen
Square protests, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said in
complaint against the firm filed in a Brooklyn court, Washington post reported on
Saturday.   

Prosecutors said that a China-based executive, Xinjiang Jin,
who worked as Zoom’s primary liaison with Chinese law enforcement and
intelligence services, engaged in sharing user information and terminating
video calls at the Chinese government’s request, the Post reported.

According to the report, Jin kept an eye on users’
discussing the political topics which were not considered admissible by the Chinese
Communist Party-led government and disconnected their calls.

Jin is also accused of sharing users’ contact details with
his government.

A Zoom spokesperson said in a statement on Friday that the
company has cooperated with the case and launched its own internal
investigation.

Jin, the company said, shared “a limited amount of
individual user data with Chinese authorities,” as well as data on no more than
10 users based outside China.

Jin was fired for violating company policies, the statement
said, and other employees have been placed on administrative leave until the
investigation is complete, the Post report read.

The case comes at a time when Zoom had established itself as
a premier video calling service, used by millions of homebound workers across
the world.

The California-based firm, whose stocks have risen through
the roof since the pandemic hit last year, is currently valued at $100 billion.
  

“As the DOJ makes clear, every American company, including
Zoom and our industry peers, faces challenges when doing business in China,”
the company said in the updated statement.

“We will continue to act aggressively to anticipate and
combat ever-evolving data security challenges.”