With many of us working from home, the use of video calling services is also on the rise. But what about privacy? That’s how safe the most popular video calling services are.
Privacy by video calling service
You’ve probably seen them in recent weeks: services such as Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. These video calling services make it easy to see and speak to your friends and colleagues during the corona crisis.
It is of course very useful to be able to consult face-to-face from home. But these services turn out to be quite sensitive to privacy. Several video calling programs have recently been compromised due to security leaks. We have listed the various video calling services.
1. Zoom
Zoom has recently been criticized for its security. This month, several dubious facts about Zoom came to light, indicating that the service is not so careful with your privacy.
For example, Zoom said on the website that it uses end-to-end encryption, but that turned out not to be the case. Hackers were also able to steal passwords via the Windows Zoom app and the iOS app was found to send personal data to Facebook. To top it all off, Zoom was even able to take over your Mac webcam and microphone.
Still, Zoom now seems to be responding to the criticism and the video calling app is taking action to plug the security holes. For example, the video calling app has closed some gaps in recent weeks with a number of updates. Zoom recently announced that it would temporarily suspend the updates in order to improve security. The service has a lot of work to do, but it seems that the problem is now being taken seriously. Until then, however, it is smarter to opt for an alternative.
Would you like to try Zoom anyway? Then read our Zoom beginner’s guide
2. Google Meet
Google Meet, formerly Google Hangouts, also has some privacy flaws. It is not open source, which means that it is not easy to check in the source code whether it is really safe. In addition, the tool does not have end-to-end encryption. This means that your conversations are not encrypted, like with WhatsApp messages.
You use Google Meet with your Google account, after which the privacy conditions of your Google account also apply. However, Google remains vague about what exactly happens to your personal information. For example, your personal information can be used to show advertisements based on your search history. Your data can also be shared with other parties, but it remains unclear who those parties are.
In addition, Google also stores information about, for example, who you call and where you are. In combination with all the other Google tools that you might use (think of Gmail or Google Calendar, for example), Google secretly collects a lot of information about you.
Also read: Google Hangouts: 7 tips for novice users
3. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is often used by schools and businesses that need to video call with a large group. In terms of privacy, Teams outperforms most tools. Teams is encrypted end-to-end. However, it is not open source, so it remains fairly vague what exactly happens to your data.
Teams is part of Microsoft 365, which means that the privacy conditions are the same as the rest of the internet services that come with it, such as Outlook. Microsoft 365 shares information about you with other parties. However, this is for marketing purposes only, so the content of your conversations will remain confidential. The program does store who you have conversations with.
Teams is also often used through a school or company. If so, the organization’s privacy terms will apply. It could therefore be that the organization you are calling with has insight into who you are calling and the duration of your calls. It is therefore wise to read the conditions first before you decide to make a video call to someone.
Also read: Microsoft Teams: 9 tips for novice users
4. House party
Houseparty is a video calling app that has only really gained fame since the corona crisis. The app is part of Epic Games, which has also developed well-known games such as Fortnite and Jackbox. Despite its enormous popularity, the video calling app unfortunately does not handle your data very carefully.
The app is neither open source nor encrypted. Moreover, your data is shared with external parties, but it remains unclear which parties exactly are meant by that. Your location data is also stored by the app and the privacy conditions are written down so vaguely that it is unclear how your personal information is protected.
The app was recently discredited and has been called a ‘privacy nightmare’, or even a ‘trojan horse’. The privacy conditions have therefore not been updated since June 2018. Epic Games has previously been criticized about the handling of privacy in Fortnite, while this game often has young users. After installing the app, it will gain access to a lot of other data on your smartphone, but it remains unclear what the company does with this data.
5. FaceTime
FaceTime is a lot safer. Apple does not share information with other parties for marketing purposes. The conversations you conduct with the app are also encrypted by default. However, the company does use your data, but only for its own products and services.
With the knowledge gained from this, Apple tries to improve it or possibly develop new products. Apple’s privacy statement makes it clear that their technology ensures that Apple has as little access to your data as possible.
Because of the encryption, Apple does not have the option to read, hear or see your conversations. You can also choose to have all messages automatically deleted after 30 days or a year.
Read: FaceTime Beginner’s Guide: 8 Tips for Novice Users
6. Skype
Skype is neither open source nor encrypted. You do have the option to encrypt conversations with no more than one person. To do this, go to the profile of the person with whom you want to have a conversation, and choose ‘send private message’. If the other person accepts, you can start a video or audio call here.
Skype, like Teams, is owned by Microsoft and shares your data with external parties for marketing purposes. You can view and delete what data Microsoft has collected on a Microsoft Privacy Dashboard.
However, when you have a Skype business account, it’s a different story. Your work or school will then have access to your privacy settings and all your communication. This allows your organization to view all your messages, files, sound and video recordings that you have sent and received.
7. Jitsi Meet
After an investigation of Bits of Freedom appears that Jitsi is one of the safest and most reliable ways to make video calls. The app is open source, so anyone can check the source code to see if the app actually does what the privacy conditions say. In addition, all traffic via Jitsi is encrypted by default.
With Jitsi you create your own video chat channel that you can always use for subsequent conversations. The tool can be used in both your browser and an app. The great thing about Jitsi is that you don’t have to log in with an account, but can just go directly to the video chat channel. This can be protected with a password if necessary.
Jitsi uses images, sound and chats from your conversation only to establish the connection between you and your conversation partners, according to a Jitsi spokesperson. Data is stored temporarily, but is not shared with others. After your conversation, these data will be deleted. For now, Jitsi Meet is the safest choice for video calling.
More security tips
Curious about what you can do to protect your data as much as possible? On iPhone we regularly share security tips. For example, we explain how to secure a Mac or how you can, for example, protect WhatsApp extra against social hacking. You will find even more useful security tips on our overview page.