In a bid to enhance security, Zoom Video Communications (ZM 1.57%), the popular video conferencing app, will soon allow paying customers to choose where their data is routed.
In a blog post, Brendan Ittelson, the chief technology officer at the tech company, wrote that, beginning April 18, paid users will be able to opt-in or out of specific data center regions. Free users won't have a choice, but with millions of people in the U.S. using the platform to stay connected, much of that data will be routed through locations in the U.S.
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The new security enhancement for paying customers is designed to ease concerns after Zoom traffic was accidentally routed through a Chinese server. Researchers at the University of Toronto discovered Zoom calls were sent through Chinese data centers even though none of the users resided there. That has raised concerns about the Chinese government's ability to access data of U.S. businesses.
"This feature gives our customers more control over their data and their interaction with our global network when using Zoom's industry-leading video communication services," Ittelson wrote in the blog post.
Ever since states across the U.S. ordered shelter-in-place rules, Zoom's usage has been skyrocketing. As of March, it has 200 million daily active users, compared to just 10 million at its peak at the end of December. That red hot growth has thrust Zoom into the spotlight as security and privacy concerns have been raised. Zoom has vowed to beef up its security and announced it would focus on improving security and privacy during the course of 90 days. It also recently brought on Alex Stamos, the former Facebook (META 0.43%) security chief, as an advisor.
