Video conferencing giant Zoom suspended a group of US-based Chinese activists' account after they organized a forum on the platform to pay tribute to the commemoration of events in Tiananmen Square.
A few days after the gathering, which was attended by about 250 people including some activists who called in from the mainland, the Humanitarian China group said its account was shut down. Zoom said that the account was closed in compliance with local laws. The account was eventually re-activated.
On Friday Zoom disclosed that it had been informed of the events and asked by the Chinese government to take action in May and early June. It said that it has now restored these accounts and will not allow additional requests from China to affect its users outside the region.
According to Zoom, it did not divulge any user information or details about the meeting to the Chinese government. Zoom pointed out that it does not have a "backdoor" that lets anyone to participate in a meeting without being seen.
The online meeting site, which rose in popularity as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted millions of people to stay at home, saw its downloads skyrocket in China. Zoom issued a media release on Thursday and said it will do better in the future.
Activist Zhou Fengsuo, a former student leader of the Tiananmen protests in 1989, coordinated the May 31 gathering, according to the Axios report, through a paid Zoom account affiliated with a nonprofit organization he founded called Humanitarian China. Around 25 US-based people attended the event before Zoom shut down Zhou's account on June 7.
Zoom also disclosed it will develop a new system that will allow the platform to remove or block participants based on their location to adhere with local laws, which Zoom said it can't do at the moment. The group also explained that the technology will enable it to safeguard conversations for participants who are based outside of borders where the activity is permitted.
Zoom reported on Tuesday that its earnings had soared in the quarter ending April 30, as both businesses and friends, cooped up in their homes because of the virus lockdowns, take advantage of the platform to meet virtually.
Zoom's fast growth was not without prior issues, with the organization having to face a wave of racists and other unwelcome gate-crashers -- notoriously known as "Zoombombers" -- who illegally enter the site's meetings.
Meanwhile, Zoom said that it has many development and research staff in China. Zoom chief executive officer Eric Yuan grew up and attended university in China prior to his migration to the US in the mid-90s. Yuan is now an American citizen.
