Amidst the multitude of problems Zoom has faced in recent weeks, it’s easy to forget the company is actually riding the crest of a wave. Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced hundreds of millions indoors, Zoom has become the go-to video communication tool. So much so, app saw its user-base jump from 10 million to over 200 million within weeks.
In a blog post, Zoom has announced a new tool for its paid customers. Specifically, the app will now allow those users to select which countries their meetings route through. While this is a positive move, it only comes after the app received criticism for routing meeting calls through Chinese data centers, even if the meetings were not hosted in China.
Of course, that situation raised some security concerns and prompted companies like Google to ban Zoom use amongst its staff. Zoom has responded with the new feature that will be available from April 18.
Paid users can “opt in or out of a specific data center region.” However, the company explains default regions will remain locked: Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Japan/Hong Kong, Latin America, and the U.S.
Further Measures
Additionally, Zoom now says not non-Chinese meetings will be passed through China. It seems this new ability is not part of the feature freeze the company imposed late last month. Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan said the company was not developing any new features for 90 days to help teams keep up with demand.
Yuan also admitted the company was not prepared for its rapid growth.
“We did not design the product with the foresight that, in a matter of weeks, every person in the world would suddenly be working, studying, and socializing from home. We now have a much broader set of users who are utilizing our product in a myriad of unexpected ways, presenting us with challenges we did not anticipate when the platform was conceived.”
