Safety Matters: A look at some offbeat group video calling apps that score well on privacy

The current crises and lockdown has zoomed certain video calling apps into importance. Companies are using apps to hold press conferences and engage with employees who are locked at home. App Annie’s latest report highlights that Zoom is the most downloaded app on iOS amongst all users. But it has also put focus on privacy and security. Zoom has become the centre of attention owing to controversies. On Thursday, it was reported that some hackers gained control of the master system and zoombombed (yes, this is a term now) viewers at BARC conference in India with abusive messages. A few weeks ago, Zoom was amidst another controversy of deploying Facebook SDK and sharing data with Facebook for iOS users without specifying it in its privacy policy. With researchers exposing vulnerabilities in apps like Zoom, there is a need to look beyond. Microsoft Teams, Skype, Google Hangouts offer viable alternatives, but there are some offbeat apps that score well on privacy and even support group video call features.