Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has banned employees from using the video conferencing app Zoom, due to “significant privacy and security concerns”, days after US law enforcement warned users about the safety of popular apps while working at home (work from home). WFH.
The use of Zoom and other digital communication services has surged as many Americans have been ordered to stay at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
According to Reuters, in an email dated March 28, SpaceX notified employees that all access to Zoom had been disabled immediately.
“We understand that many of us use this tool for conference and meeting support,” SpaceX said in the message.
“Please use email, text or telephone as an alternative means of communication,” he continued.
Representatives for SpaceX, which has more than 6,000 employees, did not respond to requests for comment. The Chief Executive of Musk, who also heads electric car maker Tesla Inc, also did not comment.
NASA, one of SpaceX’s biggest customers, also prohibits its employees from using Zoom, said Stephanie Schierholz, a spokeswoman for the US space agency.
The FBI’s Boston office on Monday issued a warning about Zoom, notifying users not to have meetings on the site publicly or share links widely – a phenomenon known as “zoombombing.”
Investigative news site The Intercept on Tuesday (31/3) reported that Zoom’s video was not end-to-end encryption between meeting participants.
Zoom did not immediately respond to a request for comment on SpaceX’s decision, but has advised users to use all privacy functions on its platform.
As a defense contractor, California-based SpaceX has been classified as a business-critical, allowing it to remain open through applicable closures in California and Texas.
Both are development and testing centers for the Starship rocket that can be used to get to the moon and Mars, and send national security satellites into space.
