This archive report was first published on 3 August 2020.
On August 3, 2020, Zoom Video Communications revealed plans to shift its business model in mainland China, abandoning direct sales to customers and partnering with local companies to provide support.
According to an email sent to customers, Zoom will list authorized partners, including Bizconf Communications, Suiri Zhumu Video Conference, and Systec Umeet, to offer its commercial services in China.
This move comes as the company continues to distance itself from its China operations, which have faced scrutiny from human rights activists and privacy advocates.
Zoom had previously suspended new free user registrations in China and limited new user registrations to enterprise customers who sign up through authorized sales representatives.
However, the company faced backlash in June when it was revealed that it had shut down an account belonging to a group of U.S.-based Chinese activists who were attending an online video group chat to memorialize the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Zoom confirmed that it had temporarily shut down the accounts due to a request from China's government and re-instated them, stating that it would have a new process for handling similar situations.
