Congressman Adam Kinzinger says federal business should not be conducted on Zoom

Congressman Adam Kinzinger said federal agencies shouldn't conduct business on Zoom, saying he will pitch federal legislation to address the threats.

The video conferencing platform has become popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video app company Zoom says that it blocked several meetings and suspended the accounts of three activists at the request of the Chinese government, according to a recent Associated Press article.

The company released details saying that in May and early June, the Chinese government notified it about several online meetings planned to commemorate the crackdown on protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

China bans public dissent. Zoom said the government told it such activities were illegal and demanded that the company terminate the meetings and the host accounts of the organizers, even though they did not live in China.

Zoom suspended the accounts of U.S.-based activists Zhou Fengsuo and Wang Dan, and Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Lee Cheuk-Yan. It has since reinstated all of their accounts.

“During the coronavirus pandemic, our reliance on video conferencing has been critical in staying connected," Kinzinger, R-Channahon, said in a press statement. "Despite its popularity in use, I have become increasingly concerned by the platform’s censoring on behalf of the Chinese government, as well as security vulnerabilities.

“ ... Zoom has admitted to routing information through China, which would allow the CCP access to that information by its own laws," Kinzinger continued. "There have also been concerns about the encryption of information and use by federal agencies. In fact, the entire United Kingdom government has been instructed not to use the platform.

“Given these concerns with Zoom and the availability of other video platforms, federal business should not be conducted on this platform until these concerns can be alleviated.

“In the interest of security, we have to recognize our vulnerabilities and in the interest of free speech, we have to take action when that freedom is threatened. I will soon be introducing legislation to address the potential threats of these concerns like the security of data centers, internet exchange points, and other similar facilities, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on these matters.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.