Zoom Gave American Users' Data to Chinese Communist Party
US video calling platform handed info to China's government, allowed mass censorship
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American video calling platform Zoom handed over data for U.S users to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to reports.
Former Zoom executive Jin Xinjiang, 39, worked with Chinese authorities to provide data on users outside of China.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged Jin with disrupting video meetings and providing information about meeting participants to the CCP.
He now faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit interstate harassment and unlawful conspiracy to transfer a means of identification, prosecutors say.
Court documents say this allowed Zoom to keep market access in China.
Although Zoom is based in the United States, its software is developed in China.
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When Zoom usage exploded during the pandemic, China tightened control, according to NTD.
It ordered Zoom employees to shut down what Beijing calls “illegal” meetings and accounts within one minute.
If shutting down a meeting took more than one minute, it was rated “security non-compliant.”
Victims include activists commemorating Tiananmen Square Massacre victims and Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.
Zoom says it’s cooperating with federal investigators and has launched an internal investigation.
Zoom fired Jin and placed other employees on administrative leave.
The CCP demands all communications companies censor speech it deems unacceptable.
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Anyone who fails to comply with the ruling Communist Party gets blocked from the massive Chinese market.
In September 2019, the CCP blocked Zoom.
It allegedly told Zoom that if it wanted to get back into the Chinese market, it had to agree to the CCP's set of demands.
The platform had to monitor user communications, censor "unacceptable" topics, give data on around 1 million people in the United States.
The company was also ordered to hand over special access to Zoom’s systems.
Zoom got back into China’s market in November 2019.
