Zoom shares user information with Facebook - Research reveals

- It emerged that data of users of Zoom, a video conferencing app, are shared with Facebook, usually on the blindside of the user

- The transfer of data primarily affects iOS users and it is accessed every time the user opens the Zoom app

- Several other apps also transfer data to Facebook as they use the social media platform's Software Development Kit (SDK) to easily implement features in their apps

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Video conferencing app, Zoom, shares the user’s data with Facebook, even without the use of a Facebook account, YEN.com.gh has gathered.

Zoom has gained popularity as more people opt to work from home and an analysis of the app has showed that Facebook receives notifications anytime the user logs on.

Information available shows that the iOS version of the app shares data analytics with the social media platform.

READ ALSO: Activists express worry as Huawei gives assurance of the safety of its surveillance tech

Per a report by vice.com, the data transfer is actually a normal feature for Facebook as several apps use its Software Development Kit (SDK) to help implement features in their apps with ease.

This results in the transfer of information to Facebook, possibly on the blindside of the user.

Pat Walshe, an activist, described the situation as shocking, as nothing in Zoom’s privacy policy addresses that.

Zoom's privacy policy says "our third-party service providers, and advertising partners (e.g., Google Ads and Google Analytics) automatically collect some information about you when you use our products."

Zoom connects with Facebook’s Graph API as soon as the app is downloaded and opened.

The Graph API is the usual way data is transmitted in and out of Facebook.

Facebook is notified and receives information such as the model of the user’s device, the time zone, the city they are connecting from, the phone carrier being used and the unique advertiser identifier created by the user's device which companies can use to target a user with advertisements.

In other news, TikTok, described as the fastest social media app in the world, is set for a full rollout in Africa.

It has also been ranked as the third most popular social media app among Nigerian users on Google Play.

YEN.com.gh understands that the app is picking ideas from YouTube and Instagram before it is launched.

From 2019, the Chinese app has been organizing “creator sessions” and meet-ups in Kenya.

In October of the same year, TikTok teamed up with Chinese phone maker Transsion’s Infinix brand in the same country.

READ ALSO: Under $100 handsets from China are the most wanted in Africa - Latest report

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Source: YEN.com.gh