Zoom to publish its first transparency report 'later this year' after missing deadline

Video calling platform Zoom has missed its own deadline for publishing its first transparency report even as it remains under fire for towing the Chinese government's line and disrupt meetings held by Beijing dissidents. The company previously said it would release the number of government demands it has received by June 30, but as per an updated blog, the reports will be published "later this year".

"We are improving our global policy to respond to these types of requests. We will outline this policy as part of our transparency report, to be published later this year," the updated blog on the company website said. It didn't specify exactly when it intends to release the report.

"We have made significant progress defining the framework and approach for a transparency report that details information related to requests Zoom receives for data, records, or content. We look forward to providing the fiscal Q2 data in our first report later this year," the blog further stated.

Transparency reports in general offer rare insights into the number of demands or requests a company gets from the government for user data. These reports are not mandatory but they are important to understand the scale and scope of government surveillance.

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Towing CPC's line

After drawing intense scrutiny and outrage, Zoom said on June 11 that it regretted that some meetings involving US-based Chinese dissidents were disrupted on the request of Beijing, as meanwhile a prominent Hong Kong activist said his account was blocked despite the city’s guarantees of free speech.

Zoom is headquartered in San Jose, California, but conducts much of its research and development in mainland China. The use of the virtual meetings app has skyrocketed during the pandemic.

The company had confirmed reports that it had reactivated the Zoom accounts of a US-based group of dissidents which were suspended after they held an online event commemorating the June 4, 1989, crackdown on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

“We regret that a few recent meetings with participants both inside and outside of China were negatively impacted and important conversations were disrupted," Zoom had said in a statement.

(Photo: AP)

(With ANI inputs)

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