Zoom boss apologises for security issues and promises fixes

Zoom is to pause the development of any new features to concentrate on safety and privacy issues, in the wake of criticism from users of the app.

In a blog, the chief executive of the video conferencing app apologised for "falling short" on security issues and promised to address concerns.

He said that the use of Zoom had soared in ways he could never have foreseen prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

One security expert said he hoped the company culture would change.

Zoom is now being used by millions of people for work and leisure, as lockdowns are imposed in many countries.

Eric Yuan spoke candidly about how "usage of Zoom ballooned overnight".

"As of the end of December last year, the maximum number of daily meeting participants, both free and paid, was approximately 10 million. In March this year, we reached more than 200 million, he said.

He admitted that despite "working around the clock" to support the influx of new users, the service had "fallen short of the community's - and our own - privacy and security expectations".

"For that, I am deeply sorry," he wrote.