Zoom Adds Ex-Trump Adviser, Tech Lobbyist to PR Push

The new appointments come at a time when Zoom is battling complaints about security and privacy while user numbers surge.

By Reuters | Updated: 7 May 2020 19:34 IST

Zoom Adds Ex-Trump Adviser, Tech Lobbyist to PR Push

Highlights

Last month, Zoom hired former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos
Jonathan Kallmer takes over as the head of Public Policy
Ex White House National Security Adviser HR McMaster is a board member

Zoom Video Communications on Wednesday named former White House National Security Adviser HR McMaster to its board and hired the policy chief of one of the tech world's big lobby groups to drive governmental relations as it poured more money into improving its image on security.

Jonathan Kallmer, who takes over as head of Global Public Policy and Government Relations at the company as it battles complaints about security and privacy while user numbers surge, was most recently executive vice president for policy at the Information Technology Industry Council, which represents major tech firms.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

McMaster, a former army lieutenant general, was President Donald Trump's national security adviser for just over 12 months in 2017 and 2018 before resigning and retiring from the army.

As corporations and schools shift to remote work and billions of people are subject to stay-at-home orders seek ways to remain connected, Zoom has seen daily participants on its video chats soar into the hundreds of millions.

Zoom Corrects Misleading Claim of 300 Million Daily Active Users

It has also experienced a backlash as the increased use exposed privacy and security flaws.

Last month, the company hired former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos as the public face of a crack team aimed at quelling the row.

© Thomson Reuters 2020

Is Mi 10 an expensive OnePlus 8 or a budget budget S20 Ultra? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.