Ask HN: Why does Zoom Desktop examine all processes and arguments?

Article summary

The Zoom desktop application examines all processes and arguments on a user's system, as evidenced by syscalls that read information from /proc directories. This behavior raises concerns about privacy and security. The reason for this behavior is unclear, but it may be related to screen sharing functionality. Users are looking for ways to prevent or limit this behavior.

Main themes

• Zoom security and privacy
• Screen sharing functionality
• Operating system APIs and permissions
• User privacy and control
• Application transparency and trust
• Security risks and trade-offs

What commenters say

• Zoom's behavior of examining all processes and arguments is a potential security risk and may be considered malicious.
• The behavior may be necessary for screen sharing functionality, but it is still a concern for user privacy.
• Operating systems should provide APIs to limit the information that applications can access, to bolster security and privacy.
• Some users feel that macOS permissions prompts are overly restrictive and may lead to users ignoring them, while others believe they provide necessary visibility and choice.
• Zoom's behavior is not unique and other applications, such as Discord, may also collect similar information for features like displaying what games users are playing.
• The lack of transparency and control over what data is being collected and how it is being used is a major concern for users.
• There are potential workarounds and solutions, such as using the browser version of Zoom or disabling certain features, but these may not be ideal for all users.