Zoom has rolled out a controversial update to its terms of service, adding a clause that allows it to use customer data for AI and ML training.
The pertinent clause is quoted below:
You consent to Zoom’s access, use, collection, creation, modification, distribution, processing, sharing, maintenance, and storage of Service Generated Data for any purpose, to the extent and in the manner permitted under applicable Law, including for the purpose of product and service development, marketing, analytics, quality assurance, machine learning or artificial intelligence (including for the purposes of training and tuning of algorithms and models), training, testing, improvement of the Services, Software, or Zoom’s other products, services, and software, or any combination thereof, and as otherwise provided in this Agreement. In furtherance of the foregoing, if, for any reason, there are any rights in such Service Generated Data which do not accrue to Zoom under this Section 10.2 or as otherwise provided in this Agreement, you hereby unconditionally and irrevocably assign and agree to assign to Zoom on your behalf, and you shall cause your End Users to unconditionally and irrevocably assign and agree to assign to Zoom, all right, title, and interest in and to the Service Generated Data, including all Proprietary Rights relating thereto.
Interestingly, there is no option for customers to opt out of the collection and AI training.
In the early days of the pandemic, Zoom repeatedly faced criticism for lax security, alienating some users. While the company eventually improved its security, it looks like it is once again willing to alienate users, only this time over its heavy-handed AI training clause.