Zoom is considering that in its next update, ads will be shown to users at its basic or free level, as the company itself announced in a post on its official blog just a few days ago. Ads will appear on the browser page that is displayed to users at the end of every call made through the app.
Zoom assures that the ads are being included for free users in certain countries, although the publication in its official blog does not detail exactly which countries are, and it is feared that this trial version with ads will become the definitive version worldwide. in a short period of time. Entry-level service users will only see announcements if they join a meeting hosted by another entry-level user.
There will be ads in the free version
Although the ads will not be shown during the meetings themselves, the fact of including advertising is already a very big change for this video calling application that became so popular during the coronavirus pandemic, when telecommuting exploded and Zoom was a way of be in contact in the middle of the restrictions imposed by the health authorities.
Typically, Zoom has only capped a few minor features in its free version so far, helping the service grow in popularity throughout the past year, as millions of people around the world adjusted to work and work. socialize from home . Even its end-to-end encryption, which Zoom initially said would be limited to premium and paid users, ended up spreading to free users after all.
So far, possibly the biggest restriction on the free version of Zoom is its 40-minute limit on the duration of group calls. But Zoom’s marketing director, Janine Pelosi, said a few days ago in an interview with a British media outlet that the platform needs to start running ads to help it “support the investment and continue to provide free access to basic users to our robust application […] This change ensures that our free basic users can continue to connect with friends, family and colleagues with the same robust and efficient platform that we have always offered, ”said Pelosi.
In the hope of avoiding an adverse reaction from users, who might complain about the invasion of their privacy, Zoom emphasizes that it will not use “meetings, webinars or messaging content (specifically audio, video, files and messages)” to target and personalize ads to your users.
From Zoom’s own website, where they announce the incorporation of advertising for basic user accounts, the company assures that they have “carefully considered how to implement this advertising pilot program, and we have done so with the aim of guaranteeing the user’s choice. . Users will see a banner on the Zoom website that provides a link to our cookie management tool. “
