Not before time, Zoom has finally gotten around to adding end-to-end encryption to its online videoconferencing service.
The security feature, announced by the company on Monday, October 26, is available now for free and paid accounts globally.
Encryption works for the Zoom desktop client version 5.4.0 for Mac and PC, the Zoom Android app, and Zoom Rooms, with the Zoom iOS app pending App Store approval, the company said.
Account administrators can enable the feature in their web dashboard at the account, group, and user level. Participants must also enable the feature to join a meeting set for end-to-end encryption.
“When users enable E2EE (end-to-end encryption) for their meetings, nobody except each participant — not even Zoom’s meeting servers — has access to the encryption keys that are used to encrypt the meeting,” the company said in a release.
“If enabled, the host can toggle on and off E2EE for any given meeting depending on the level of security and level of functionality they would like.”
But it’s not all good news as the feature is launching with a number of limitations. For example, turning on E2EE will prevent you from using cloud recording, streaming, live transcription, Breakout Rooms, polling, 1:1 private chat, and meeting reactions. The plan is to gradually integrate these elements during 2021.
Zoom gained widespread attention during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as office employees turned to the software in huge numbers after being told to work from home as part of efforts to slow the spread of the virus. But Zoom was unprepared for the sudden influx of users, with a slew of security and privacy issues coming to the fore, a situation that prompted some customers to ditch the service for an alternative videoconferencing platform.
The fallout from the problems was so damaging that in April, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan felt compelled to make a public apology admitting that his team had made mistakes. On the issue of security, Yuan said that many newcomers did not have effective IT support — in contrast with its traditional user base of business and enterprise customers — and therefore failed to set up the software in the most effective way. This led to some users suffering “zoombombing” incidents in which hackers invaded an online meeting with offensive imagery. Since then, the company has been making gradual improvements to the security and privacy elements of its software in a bid to retain its customer base.
New to Zoom? Then check out Digital Trends’ handy guide for getting the most out of the videoconferencing software.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.