Updated August 1, 2021 at 6:54 PM ET
Zoom will pay $85 million to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated s' privacy rights, according to a preliminary settlement filed on Saturday. The class action suit by several Zoom s alleges the company shared personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, and allowed hackers to disrupt meetings with pornography, inappropriate language or other disturbing content in a practice called "Zoombombing."
The settlement still requires approval by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, Calif., but if she signs off, subscribers would receive 15% refunds on their core subscriptions, or $25, whichever amount is larger. Zoom s who did not pay for an can submit a claim for $15. Zoom will also up its security, committing to alerting s about third-party app data sharing, and taking more measures to safeguard data.
Zoom's customer base exploded over the course of the pandemic. Many groups and organizations turned to the communications platform as a part of work and lifestyle changes to accommodate coronavirus restrictions. Fitness classes, happy hours, court proceedings, and presidential campaigns all moved to Zoom. People celebrated weddings and grieved at memorial services.
But the enormous spike in s increased attention on the program's security and privacy flaws.
Zoom is denying wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. A company spokesperson told NPR: "The privacy and security of our s are top priorities for Zoom, and we take seriously the trust our s place in us. We are proud of the advancements we have made to our platform, and look forward to continuing to innovate with privacy and security at the forefront."
Another hearing in the case is set for October.
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