{"id":12599,"date":"2020-04-28T06:11:47","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T13:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/?p=12599"},"modified":"2020-05-11T12:23:23","modified_gmt":"2020-05-11T19:23:23","slug":"which-video-call-apps-can-you-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/blogarchive\/blog\/2020\/04\/28\/which-video-call-apps-can-you-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Video Call Apps Can You Trust?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"rich-text\">\n<h3><i>Amid the pandemic, Mozilla is educating consumers about popular video apps\u2019 privacy and security features and flaws<\/i><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i>[Update, April 29: Following the publication of Mozilla&#8217;s guide, Discord updated their password requirements. As a result, Discord now meets Mozilla&#8217;s Minimum Security Guidelines.<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/blog\/video-call-apps-get-bit-more-secure\/\"><i>Learn more here<\/i><\/a><i>.]<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Right now, a record number of people are using video call apps to conduct business, teach classes, meet with doctors, and stay in touch with friends. It\u2019s more important than ever for this technology to be trustworthy \u2014 but some apps don&#8217;t always respect users\u2019 privacy and security.<\/p>\n<p><b>So today, Mozilla is<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/privacynotincluded\/categories\/video-call-apps\/\"><b>publishing a guide<\/b><\/a><b> to popular video call apps\u2019 privacy and security features and flaws. Consumers can use this information to choose apps they\u2019re comfortable with \u2014 and to avoid ones they find creepy.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/privacynotincluded\/categories\/video-call-apps\/\"><b><i>Read the guide<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This work is an addition to Mozilla\u2019s annual *Privacy Not Included guide, which rates popular connected products\u2019 privacy and security features during the holiday shopping season. We created this new edition based on reader demand: Last month, we asked our community what information they need most right now, and an overwhelming number asked for privacy and security insights into video call apps.<\/p>\n<p>In this latest installment, Mozilla researchers dug into 15 apps, from Zoom and Skype to HouseParty and Discord. Our researchers answered important questions like: Does the app share user data \u2014 and if so, with whom? Are users alerted when meetings are recorded? Is the app compliant with U.S. medical privacy laws? And many more.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers also determined whether or not apps meet Mozilla\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/about\/meets-minimum-security-standards\">Minimum Security Standards<\/a>. These five guidelines include: Using encryption; providing security updates; requiring strong passwords; managing vulnerabilities; and featuring a privacy policy.<\/p>\n<p>In total, 12 apps met Mozilla\u2019s Minimum Security Standards: Zoom, Google Duo\/HangoutsMeet, Apple FaceTime, Skype, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Jitsi Meet, Signal, Microsoft Teams, BlueJeans, GoTo Meeting, and Cisco WebEx.<\/p>\n<p>Three products did <i>not<\/i> meet Mozilla\u2019s Minimum Security Standards: Houseparty, Discord, and Doxy.me.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Minimum Security Standards are just one layer of our guide, however. What else did our research uncover?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Competition is fierce in the video call app space \u2014 which is good news for consumers<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/zoom\/\">Zoom<\/a> has been criticized for privacy and security flaws. Because there are many other video call app options out there, Zoom acted quickly to address concerns. This isn\u2019t something we necessarily see with companies like Facebook, which don\u2019t have a true competitor<\/li>\n<li>When one company adds a feature that users really like, other companies are quick to follow. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/zoom\/\">Zoom<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/duo-hangouts-meet\/\">Google Hangouts<\/a> popularized one-click links to get into meetings, and Skype recently added the feature. And just last week Facebook added Messenger Rooms, which allows up to 50 people to chat at once in <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/messenger-messenger-kids\/\">Messenger<\/a> for as long as they want<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>All apps use some form of encryption, but not all encryption is equal<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li>All the video call apps in our guide offer some form of encryption. But not all apps use the holy grail: end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption means only those who are part of the call can access the call\u2019s content. No one can listen in, not even the company. Other apps use client-to-server encryption, similar to what your browser does for HTTPS web sites. As your data moves from one point to another, it\u2019s unreadable. Though unlike end-to-end encryption, once your data lands on a company\u2019s servers, it then becomes readable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Video call apps targeting businesses have a different set of features than video call apps targeting everyday use<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li>This may seem obvious. But it\u2019s important. Video call apps like <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/facetime\/\">FaceTime<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/duo-hangouts-meet\/\">Google Duo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/signal\/\">Signal<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/houseparty\/\">Houseparty<\/a> have a very different set of video chat features and ease of use than business-oriented apps such as <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/zoom\/\">Zoom<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/bluejeans\/\">BlueJeans<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/gotomeeting\/\">GoToMeeting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/teams\/\">Microsoft Teams<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/webex\/\">Cisco Webex<\/a>. Consumers who want something simple may want to skip the B2B apps. Business users who want a fuller set of features and have money to pay may look to business-focused apps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>There is a diverse range of risks<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/messenger-messenger-kids\/\">Facebook<\/a> doesn\u2019t use the content of your messages for ad targeting. But it <i>does<\/i> collect a lot of other personal information. It collects name, email, location, geolocations on photos you upload, information about your contacts, information about you other people might share, and even any information it can gather about you when you use the camera feature. Facebook says it can use all this personal information to target you with ads. It also shares information with a large number of third-party partners including advertisers, vendors, academic researchers, and analytic services<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/whatsapp\/\">WhatsApp<\/a> is solid for video chat, and gets bonus points for using end-to-end encryption on users\u2019 messages and calls. However, it is sullied by an overwhelming amount of misinformation on the platform. Especially during this global pandemic, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/10\/technology\/coronavirus-5g-uk.html\/\">conspiracies and fake news<\/a> are being spread across WhatsApp<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/houseparty\/\">Houseparty<\/a> is admittedly more fun than some others on our list, but it comes with its own problems. Houseparty appears to be a personal data vacuum (though kudos to their <a href=\"https:\/\/houseparty.com\/privacy\/\">privacy policy<\/a> for being easy to read to tell you that)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/discord\/\">Discord<\/a> collects more information than we\u2019re comfortable with. For example, it collects information on your contacts if you link your social media accounts. And then there\u2019s the toxicity: dig deep enough and you\u2019ll find some pretty troubling corners of Discord that are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commonsensemedia.org\/blog\/parents-ultimate-guide-to-discord\">known for<\/a> misogyny, racial harrassment, and human trafficking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Good news: Many apps provide admirable privacy and security features<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li>All apps with a built-in recording feature alert participants when recording occurs<\/li>\n<li>On most apps, hosts have the ability to set rules, like who can unmute and who can share their screen \u2014 meaning accidents and trolls can quickly be dealt with<\/li>\n<li>The two open-source apps in the guide \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/jitsi-meet\/\">Jitsi Meet<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.mozilla.org\/en\/privacynotincluded\/products\/signal\/\">Signal<\/a> \u2014 have strong privacy protections<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid the pandemic, Mozilla is educating consumers about popular video apps\u2019 privacy and security features and flaws [Update, April 29: Following the publication of Mozilla&#8217;s guide, Discord updated their password &hellip; <a class=\"go\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/blogarchive\/blog\/2020\/04\/28\/which-video-call-apps-can-you-trust\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1532,"featured_media":12600,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[757,847],"tags":[],"coauthors":[311813],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Which Video Call Apps Can You Trust? 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