Zoom acquires Keybase to add end-to-end encryption to videoconferencing – Verdict

Zoom acquires Keybase to add end-to-end encryption to videoconferencing – Verdict

Videoconferencing giant Zoom announced on May 7 that it is acquiring secure messaging and file-sharing service Keybase for an undisclosed amount.

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to work from home and the daily meeting participants on Zoom surged over the last few months, the platform has been experiencing an onslaught of security issues surrounding the service. The company has launched a 90-day plan to fix these problems. 

Zoom provided the following reasons for acquiring the company:

• A number of security concerns have caused the service to be banned for use by some governments, inflicting considerable reputational damage on Zoom.
• At the end of March, the company attracted criticism for claiming to offer end-to-end encryption in some marketing materials, but in reality only offering TLS, the security technology used to secure HTTPS websites which means the company can access unencrypted video and audio content of users.
• End-to-end encryption has been identified as a key part of its plan to fix security problems by Zoom, making the acquisition of Keybase a part of achieving this goal.

Related:

Zoom admits ‘confusion’ over its promise of end-to-end encryption

How will this acquisition help Zoom?

• Accelerate its plans to add end-to-end encryption to its platform
• Bring security expertise to Zoom

Zoom will offer an end-to-end encrypted meeting mode to all paid accounts in the near future, the company noted in a blog post announcing the acquisition.