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Zoom starts rolling out end-to-end encryption

E2EE is available as a technical preview for free and paid users.

Punnarong via Getty Images

Zoom is now rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for both free and paid users, so your video chats and meetings should be much more secure. You can activate E2EE on Zoom’s latest desktop client, Android app and Zoom Rooms starting today. It’ll be available on iOS soon after Apple approves an app update.

You’ll need to manually switch on E2EE in your settings, and all meeting participants will need to do so for their calls to use that level of encryption. You’ll know E2EE is active if you spot a green shield icon with a lock symbol in the middle in the top left of your call.

Zoom’s E2EE is currently in technical preview and the company hopes users will provide feedback on the feature during the next 30 days. However, at least in the first stage of the four-phase rollout, E2EE will block certain Zoom functions, such as the live transcription feature.

The company bought Keybase in May to develop its E2EE mode after a huge surge in usage amid the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, Zoom was only going to offer E2EE to paid users before it relented and decided to offer the feature to everyone.