Logll Tech News — Zoom, the popular video conferencing platform, has recently faced criticism and blowback from users due to updates in its terms of service allowing AI training on customer data.
- The changes, quietly rolled out in March, raised concerns about the company’s control over customer data for AI training purposes. However, in response to the online backlash, Zoom has made revisions to its terms of service to address these concerns and ensure user consent. 🛠️📝
We’ve updated our terms of service (in section 10.4) to further confirm that we do not use audio, video, or chat customer content to train our artificial intelligence models without your consent. https://t.co/6eo10YDsRz
— Zoom (@Zoom) August 7, 2023
Zoom’s Sweeping Control Over Customer Data 🌐💼
A report from StackDiary over the weekend brought attention to the changes in Zoom’s terms of service, revealing that the company appeared to have extensive control over customer data for AI training. The terms seemingly granted Zoom the right to utilize customer content without providing an opt-out option, leading to worries about user privacy and consent. 😱🤝
Experimental AI Tools and Consent 🧪🤖
Part of the issue stemmed from Zoom’s experimental AI tools, such as IQ Meeting Summary and IQ Team Chat Compose. While account owners are required to provide consent before using these tools, additional participants were only presented with two options: accept the terms and join the meeting or reject them and leave the meeting. This raised concerns about the use of customer data without explicit consent. 🤔🚫
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— Weird AI Generations (@WeirdAiGens) August 7, 2023
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Privacy Concerns and Debate 🕵️♂️🗣️
Alex Ivanovs, writing for Stack Diary, highlighted the explicit mention of Zoom’s right to use customer data for machine learning and AI purposes, including algorithm training. This lack of an opt-out option raised alarm bells and sparked debates about the balance between user privacy and AI development. 💭🔔💬
Zoom's Updated Terms of Service Permit Training AI on User Content Without Opt-Outhttps://t.co/ZZLblpxncb
— Stack Diary (@stackdiary) August 6, 2023
Zoom Responds with Blog Post and Updated Terms 💻📰
In response to the backlash, Zoom’s Chief Product Officer, Smita Hashim, addressed the concerns through a blog post. She emphasized that account owners and administrators are required to provide consent before sharing their data for AI training, and this data is used solely to enhance the performance and accuracy of AI services. 👩💼💬
Revisions to Ensure User Consent ✅👥
Zoom has taken steps to clarify its position on using customer content for AI training. The company added a new section to its terms of service, stating explicitly that audio, video, or chat customer content will not be used to train their artificial intelligence models without user consent. This revision aims to provide users with more control over their data and decisions. 🔄🔍🔒
There seems to be a fair amount of misleading regarding @Zoom and the use of customer data. Zoom has been crystal clear that they need customer consent to use their data. Check out the blog from CTO @smitahashim https://t.co/Mtbpt1sAji
— Zeus Kerravala (@zkerravala) August 7, 2023
Balancing Value-Added Services and User Ownership ⚖️💎
Hashim reiterated that Zoom seeks to empower account owners and administrators to maintain control over features and decisions related to AI services. While Zoom may use customer content for value-added services based on that content, customers retain ownership and control over their data. 📈💼
Safeguarding Customer Content and Privacy 🔒🕵️♀️
Zoom made it clear that they will not use customer content, including education records or protected health information, to train their AI models without explicit consent from the user. This commitment aims to safeguard sensitive data and maintain transparency in the AI development process. 🚀🛡️
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): ❓🗣️
Zoom updated its terms to address concerns about AI training on customer data, ensuring user consent is obtained for such activities.
Users were concerned about the lack of an opt-out option and explicit rights given to Zoom to use customer data for AI training without consent.
Zoom’s experimental AI tools, like IQ Meeting Summary and IQ Team Chat Compose, required consent from account owners before use.
Zoom’s Chief Product Officer addressed the concerns in a blog post, emphasizing user consent and data privacy.
The new section explicitly states that Zoom will not use audio, video, or chat customer content for AI model training without user consent.
Zoom aims to empower account owners and administrators with control over AI services and decisions related to them.
Zoom commits to not using customer content, such as education records or protected health information, for AI training without user consent.