No, anyone can join a meeting using the Zoom desktop application or mobile app. This means you can hold meetings with students, colleagues, or unaffiliated parties without having them create an account.

Any webcam and microphone will work with Zoom. For a list of value-added partners who help Zoom customers adopt their cloud meeting solution, see http://zoom.us/partners.

Audio feedback is generally caused by 3 possible instances:

  • A participant has both the computer and telephone speakers active
  • Participants with computer or telephone speakers that are too close to each other
  • Multiple computers with active audio in the same conference room

Generally, if you are hearing feedback, it is due to a device channeling audio back. Isolate each attendee to find the source.

  • Host can must the attendees one at time
  • Host can mute all, and unmute one at a time
  • Attendee can mute him/herself.

The source of audio feedback can also originate from:

  • Speakers (such as TV or sound bar) at a high volume
  • Echo cancellation has failed (device or performance issue)
  • A faulty microphone

Zoom encrypts meetings by default. For meeting participants using version 5 or later of the Zoom client software, Zoom uses AES-256-GCM. Web clients use TLS 1.2, and Zoom supports encryption for H.323 video conference rooms. Note that Zoom can decrypt a session in their data centers to allow telephone participants to join a Zoom conference. Only the connection to the public telephone network is not encrypted. The remainder of the meeting continues to be encrypted. Zoom has not said that encryption is handled any differently in other parts of the world.

1. Dial a local number. Please see https://zoom.us/zoomconference for a list of dial-in numbers by countries.

2. You will be prompted to enter the meeting ID - the nine (9) or ten (10) digit ID provided to you by the host.

3. You will be prompted to enter your unique participant ID - Press # to skip.

Note: If you decided to Join via telephone after Joining via computer, please select Audio Options and Leave Computer Audio. Then enter #Participant ID#. Otherwise you may hear audio feedback or echo in the meeting.

Zoom meetings can be recorded from the desktop applications. To do so:

  • Click the Record button in the main video window. By default, only a host can record a meeting.
  • A host can allow other meeting participants to record through the Participants pop-up menu. Click Participants, hover over a user’s name, click More, and select Allow Record to allow that user to record the meeting.

Note: You will have to keep Zoom open after the meeting concluded to allow for the program to save and process the meeting. A progress bar will appear to indicate how much time remains. 

Yes. You can start a meeting, and then leave the meeting, allowing attendees to continue on with that meeting. However, you cannot then start another meeting using the same account simultaneously. Only one meeting per account is permitted during a single time frame.

Zoom updated its privacy policy to clarify what information it collects and exchanges with third parties and under what circumstances. You can find the updated privacy statement at aristocrat.zoom.us/privacy.

Note: Zoom does not use or share meeting content with any third parties. Further, UC has a systemwide agreement with Zoom that precludes Zoom from using information about UC users. If you sign in to Zoom as a UCSB user, Zoom cannot use any identifiable information about you or your use of the service with third parties.

Because of increased usage due to COVID-19, Zoom came under scrutiny by security and privacy journalists and watchdogs. Zoom responded to criticisms addressing each in turn. For example, Zoom improved the data encryption in their client software and clarified how and when the system uses encryption. After the Chinese government demanded that Zoom terminate some meetings and accounts, Zoom updated its policy on how it would respond to the demands of foreign governments. Zoom removed some features such as attention tracking that many people viewed as invasive to the privacy of meeting participants. Zoom changed default behaviors and introduced new features to reduce "zoombombing" incidents.

Zoom pulls in your primary/default email address from Identity. Go to im.ucsb.edu, then click on Profile & Settings and edit your email address. Remember to scroll down and click "Update profile." The next time you log into Zoom, your email address will be updated.