Zoom is under scrutiny from the New York Attorney General for its privacy practices

Reuters/Carlo Allegri

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan.

• Zoom is under scrutiny by the New York Attorney General's office for its data privacy and security practices.
• The NY attorney general's office sent a letter to Zoom asking what new security measures the company has put in place, if any, to handle its huge surge in usage, according to the New York Times, and how it's handling the data privacy of children especially.
• Zoom told Business Insider that it received the letter and that the company will be providing the attorney general's office with the requested information.
• Internet trolls have been infiltrating Zoom calls to share indecent images or other spam, a phenomenon called 'Zoombombing.'
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Zoom is now under scrutiny by the New York Attorney General's office for its data privacy and security practices. On Monday, the NY attorney general's office sent a letter to Zoom asking what new security measures the company has put in place, if any, to handle its huge surge in usage, according to the New York Times.

Zoom confirmed to Business Insider that it recieved the letter and that the company will be providing the attorney general's office with the requested information.

"Zoom takes its users' privacy, security, and trust extremely seriously. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working around-the-clock to ensure that hospitals, universities, schools, and other businesses across the world can stay connected and operational. We appreciate the New York Attorney General's engagement on these issues and are happy to provide her with the requested information," the company said in a statement.

Zoom has seen a tremendous surge in usage due to everyone being forced to stay at home and attend work or school remotely. It's also become popular as a tool for socializing. That's forced the company to address data privacy and security concerns that weren't as in-focus before, when it was primarily used in the workplace.

The letter referred to Zoom as "an essential and valuable communications platform" but highlighted several concerns about its privacy and security settings. That includes concerns about hackers or other malicious third parties that could gain access to users webcams, the letter says, according to the report.

"While Zoom has remediated specific reported security vulnerabilities, we would like to understand whether Zoom has undertaken a broader review of its security practices," the letter says, according to the report.

The NY attorney general is also concerned about the data privacy of children using the app. The office has asked Zoom to send a copy of its privacy policy for obtaining and verifying consent in primary and secondary schools, and a description of third parties who received data related to children.

Recently, internet trolls have been infiltrating Zoom calls to share indecent images or other spam, a phenomenon called "Zoombombing." That's especially worrisome as many schools - K-12 and colleges - now use Zoom for online learning.

Zoom has addressed the issue and shown people how to prevent that from happening in a blog post.

Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pzaveri@businessinsider.com or Signal at 925-364-4258. (PR pitches by email only, please.) You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

NOW WATCH: Head of NYC Prepper's Network explains how to prepare for a self-quarantine