Zoom violates GDPR, this German state warns not to use it – morningtidings

NEW DELHI: The data protection agency of the German state of Hamburg has warned it not to use the video conferencing app Zoom for fear of data breach, as per a report by Techcrunch. The agency reportedly issued a public warning in a press release, saying that since the user data in the Zoom call is sent to the US for processing, Zoom violates the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
As per the report, the agency says that it had to issue a public warning to the Senate Chancellery because it did not “provide an adequate response to concerns raised earlier.” By “earlier”, it is referring to the formal procedure via a hearing on June 17, 2021, to which neither any documents or arguments were presented to justify the compliance nor any response was made, it claims. The data protection agency then issued a formal warning under Article 58 (2) (a) of the GDPR. It asserts that, “The documents submitted by the Senate Chancellery on the use of Zoom show that [GDPR] standards are not being adhered to.”
In a statement given to the publication (translated via Google Translate), Ulrich Kühn, acting Hamburg commissioner for data protection and freedom of information, said: “Public bodies are particularly bound to comply with the law. It is therefore more than regrettable that such a formal step had to be taken. At the [Senate Chancellery of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg], all employees have access to a tried and tested video conference tool that is unproblematic with regard to third-country transmission. As the central service provider, Dataport also provides additional video conference systems in its own data centers. These are used successfully in other regions such as Schleswig-Holstein. It is therefore incomprehensible why the Senate Chancellery insists on an additional and legally highly problematic system.”