After some sections in India started targeting Zoom over its connections with China and alleged data breach policies, the company has clarified its position on the issue and statedthat it is based in the United States and has offices in China that are operated by its subsidiaries. The company also said it is planning to invest in India in the coming years.
The move came days after calls for a boycott of the video conferencing platform rose among the Indian population. Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has boycotted the platform ever since the tensions between India and China have risen over the military face-off at Galwan Valley in the Union territory of Ladakh.
Zoom is involved in a controversy that its servers, which are situated in China, are vulnerable to data breach and is not safe for India as a communication platform. The company said that it would give control to its paid users over the data centers through which their data is routed.
On Tuesday 7 July 2020, a senior executive of Indian origin at Zoom said that the company is planning to make ‘significant investments’ in India in the coming years and will also hire top talents in the country.
The company, in its statement, said, “We do recognize that as we continue to introduce ourselves to the Indian market, there has been some confusion about the facts as it relates to Zoom. We want to work through these. Some of the misconceptions are disheartening, especially those about Zoom and China.”
The president of Product and Engineering at Zoom Video Communications, Inc., Mr. Velchamy Sankarlingam, clarified that the company has offices in China that are controlled and operated by subsidiaries of the NASDAQ listed company.
He said, “Zoom has been clear about its identity: Zoom is a US-based company, publicly traded on the NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations exchange), founded and headquartered in San Jose, California. And like many global technology companies, Zoom has offices in China operated by subsidiaries of the US parent company.”
“We look forward to engaging with more stakeholders in India in the coming months to support key priorities such as Digital India, Startup India, and Skills India, as well as introducing them to Zoom,” said the company.
“We also have plans for significant investment in the country over the next five years and beyond, including expanding or footprint and hiring more top talent in the region,” it added, “India is and will continue to be an important market for Zoom, and we are excited to build on the exciting opportunities we see in the region.”
