Zoom CEO says it won't encrypt free calls because it wants to share them with law enforcement

It's game over for those holding out hope Zoom would do more for user privacy: the company's CEO explicitly cited law enforcement as why it will not offer encrypted calling to free (i.e. undocumented) users.

Yuan said free users won't enjoy that level of privacy, which makes it impossible for third parties to decipher communications.

Free users for sure we don't want to give that because we also want to work together with FBI, with local law enforcement in case some people use Zoom for a bad purpose," Yuan said on the call.

Google Duo and Apple Facetime are already encrypted, and these companies are no enemies of the state. Zoom's position is not just cooperative but collaborative: assume they are already working with law enforcement to make general surveillance of Zoom as simple and pushbutton as possible.