Zoom to Halt Feature Development to Bolster Privacy, Security for COVID-19

Zoom annouced it plans to enact a freeze on all feature development and shift its engineering resources for the next 90 days to focus on privacy and security issues, in light of recent cybersecurity concerns that have emerged during the Coronavirus pandemic. The videoconferencing platform has a healthcare-specific service. Meanwhile, the Office for Civil Rights has penalties for HIPAA noncompliance around expanded telehealth use during the crisis. Zoom was listed as an acceptable platform for this use, which means providers can use the platform for remote care or consultations. Usage of Zoom has ballooned overnight – far surpassing what we expected when we first announced our desire to help in late February,” Zoom CEO Eric Yuan wrote. “To put this growth in context, as of the end of December last year, the maximum number of daily meeting participants, both free and paid, conducted on Zoom was approximately 10 million.