Covid-19: Zoom bombs make choosing video apps harder for lockdown chats

Zoom, which has soared to 200 million daily users from 10 million in less than three months, had multiple reports of ‘Zoombombing’, where strangers barge into private calls having gained access to an invite or meeting number. Underlying many of the issues is the fact that Zoom has not merely become more popular; with the world under lockdown, Zoom has transformed from a business-oriented teleconferencing tool to global video hangout. — Reuters

The coronavirus crisis has seen millions locked in their homes turn to videoconferencing apps, bringing with it question marks over security and privacy and a new verb — Zoombombing — the practice of uninvited users crashing into conversations.

From easy-access models for schoolkids and casual users like Houseparty, Google Hangouts or Zoom to Cisco's business-focused Webex, Microsoft's Teams or San Jose-based BlueJeans, the value and profile of these apps has soared.