Case Study
Zoom Cowed by Chinese Censorship and Loses User Trust
Zoom has been widely criticized for complying with Chinese government censorship. A U.S. government complaint unsealed in 2022 revealed that in exchange for being allowed to continue operations in China, Zoom caved to China’s censorship demands. The company would monitor user communications and enforce takedown requests on content regarding the Tiananmen Square Massacre and other information deemed inappropriate by the Chinese government. Members of Congress have criticized Zoom’s acquiescence, saying that Zoom “allowed the CCP to exploit the company’s reach to silence Americans on American soil.” The U.S. Department of Justice has also charged a China-based executive of the company with coordinating with the Chinese government to target dissident.