Arr, Zoom be changin' course after feelin' the wrath o' the masses fer their AI calamity!
2023-08-26
Arrr, word be sailin' the seven seas that Zoom has adjusted its terms on its ship's log without sendin' a fair warnin' to its scurvy users, all the while plunderin' their precious data and content without askin' for a pirate's consent.
In the language of a 17th-century pirate, the article humorously discusses the rise of the video conferencing platform Zoom during the pandemic. It highlights how the company updated its Terms of Service without adequately notifying its users or explaining the changes. The update included a clause that seemingly allowed Zoom to use user data and customer content for AI training purposes without customer consent. However, the update went unnoticed for months since there was no notification sent out by the company, and not many people thoroughly read through lengthy Terms of Service agreements.Once the news broke, there was a backlash from Zoom's users and others, leading to an online petition demanding a change in Zoom's policy. Eventually, Zoom was forced to clarify its Terms of Service and make it easier to understand. The company stated that it does not use customer content to train AI models. Zoom's CEO, Eric Yuan, acknowledged the company's failure to communicate the changes clearly. However, some critics were not reassured by Zoom's vague language and pointed out that the company could still collect and use other types of data for AI purposes.
The article concludes by highlighting the trend of tech companies violating user privacy when they gain control over a certain market. It mentions previous examples with Google and Facebook and suggests that this may happen again with new tech giants in the future. The article poses the question of how to prevent big companies from overstepping like this and invites readers to share their thoughts. It also encourages readers to subscribe to the author's newsletter for more tech tips and security alerts.