Video call apps are more important now than ever before, but not all apps are created equal — and security flaws could expose your personal data or private conversations to eavesdroppers and trolls.
Security researchers with Mozilla, a privacy nonprofit, evaluated 15 video call apps including Zoom, Signal, Google Hangouts, Houseparty, Skype, and Microsoft Teams and rated them based on their security and "creepiness." The findings were published in Mozilla's "Privacy Not Included" guide Tuesday.
Of the 15 apps, Zoom has received the most scrutiny in the past month after meetings were hit with a string of "Zoom bombing" attacks and researchers unearthed longstanding security flaws. But despite that, Zoom — which rolled out a slew of security improvements in recent weeks — managed to meet Mozilla's baseline security standards and come out near the top of its rankings.
Meanwhile, three apps — Houseparty, Discord, and telemedicine app Doxy.me — didn't meet Mozilla's minimum security standards.
"It's more important than ever that this technology be trustworthy," Mozilla Vice President for Advocacy Ashley Boyd said in a statement. "The good news is that the boom in usage has put pressure on these companies to improve their privacy and security for all users, which should be a wake-up call for the rest of the tech industry."
Here's a look at how some of the most popular video call apps stack up in Mozilla's rankings.
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