Zoom Acquires Keybase to Increase Data Security

Zoom has become one of the companies that benefit from the region’s lockdown during the coronavirus. Zoom platform has been used by millions of people due to work from home policy. Not only workers, students are also using this platform to study from home.

This video conference startup continues to strive to improve its security. Protecting user data privacy has been the company agreement with the New York general attorney. Zoom also bought a Keybase messaging security startup.

Zoom Video Communications announced the acquisition of the company in the field of security and privacy, Keybase today (8/5). This corporate action was carried out amidst the rise of zoombombing. Zoomboombing is a phenomenon of strangers joining online meetings.

This joke action has taken place in several countries, including Singapore and Indonesia. Singapore even prohibits the use of Zoom for teaching and learning activities. In fact, the Zoom application had jumped due to the corona pandemic.

Responding to complaints related to security, Zoom also acquired companies in the field of security and privacy. Through this corporate action, Zoom builds end-to-end encryption to improve service security.

“This is what Zoom plans to build, providing security for users, ease of use, and scale together,” Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan said in a press release on Friday (8/5).

Acquires Startup Keybase

The company’s management said they had purchased Keybase, a secure message and file delivery service to have the technical expertise to provide stronger encryption for the conference platform. But the company didn’t release the acquisition price to the media.

Keybase is an encrypted messaging platform. It allows the users to securely exchange data and cryptographically verify each other’s identity. This platform was founded in 2014. On May 22, Zoom said to be releasing a draft encryption policy design. They are currently investigating a mechanism that will allow them to provide additional level of authentication.

To realize this security, the company built a team. One way, by acquiring Keybase. “Bringing a cohesive group of security engineers like this significantly advances our 90-day plan to improve security,” he said.

Keybase.io founder and developer Max Krohn also welcomed the collaboration. “It’s an honor to be able to bring our encryption expertise to a platform that is used by hundreds of millions of users a day,” Max said.

In early April, Zoom recruited former Facebook Chief of Security Alex Stamos as an advisor. At the end of last month, the company announced plans to release Zoom 5.0.

The latest version is claimed to have powerful security and privacy features. Among these users can lock online meetings quickly, eject participants, and limit screen sharing and chatting in meetings.

Some Zoom Competitors Released New Features

These efforts were carried out by Zoom during fierce competition. Google, Facebook, and Telkomsel even built Zoom’s competitor service. Telkomsel noted that CloudX video conference application users have jumped 5,000% since it was launched last January. This red-labeled mobile operator also strengthens its security, by launching Mobile Security.

Telkomsel’s General Product Enterprise Management Manager Rini Apriliani added the Mobile Security service is a security solution for all of the company’s devices or assets for operations.

Facebook released a new feature that allows users to video chat via Messenger. This feature can hold up to 50 people in one video chat. Then, video call participants on WhatsApp added from four people to eight people.

Then, Google also increased the number of Hangouts Meet participants from four to 16 people. Quoted from The Verge, the appearance was said to be similar to Zoom. Not only that, Telkomsel along with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) is also examining the possibility of CloudX online meeting applications being used by the ministries and the wider community.