Zoom has reached a settlement (PDF) in a class-action lawsuit over alleged privacy and security issues, and if you used the videoconferencing app before July, then you could be eligible to receive money as a result. The company has agreed to pay $85 million while continuing to deny the allegations and any liability.
There are two groups eligible to file a claim. If you paid for a Zoom Meetings App subscription between March 30th, 2016, and July 30th, 2021, you can file a claim for $25 or 15 percent of what you paid for that subscription (excluding optional add-ons). You’re entitled to whichever is greater.
The second bucket is much broader. If you aren’t eligible for the first group but you “registered, used, opened, or downloaded the Zoom Meeting App” between March 30th, 2016, and July 30th, 2021, you can file a claim for $15.
However, if you have only used Zoom with an “Enterprise-Level Account” or a government account, you’re excluded from the settlement.
Claims must be submitted by March 5th, 2022. You can file a claim online here or by mailing a completed claim form. However, payment amounts “may increase or decrease” depending on how many people submit claims, according to the settlement’s website. The settlement has been preliminarily approved by the court, and a final approval hearing is scheduled for April 7th, 2022.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege Zoom shared users’ information with third parties in an unauthorized manner through SDKs and marketplace apps, that it failed to prevent “unwanted meeting disruptions by third parties” (aka “Zoombombing”), and that Zoom misrepresented its end-to-end encryption (which the company has since fixed).
