Zoom

Zoom collects meeting metadata and usage data and has faced scrutiny over content and AI-training rights. Hosts can record meetings and arbitration applies in the US.

🚨 Key things to watch out for

The clauses that could affect you the most. Read these even if you skip everything else.

Zoom can terminate your account for any reason with just 30 business days' notice, even if you've done nothing wrong, and charges continue accruing even during suspension.

14-314-4

You waive your right to sue in court, join class actions, or have a jury trial — all disputes go through mandatory binding arbitration with a shortened one-year filing deadline.

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📋 Every clause, explained

Browse what the terms actually say — filter by severity or by topic.

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Showing 33 clauses

3Access and Use; Software License1 clause

⚠️

Revocable license at Zoom's sole discretion

⛔Account termination

3-A

💬 Zoom can revoke your access to the service at any time based on its own judgment, even if you're paying for a subscription.

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“Zoom grants a limited, revocable, non-exclusive license to access Services and use Software during the subscription term for internal use only. Access revocation is at Zoom's sole discretion.”

4Responsibility for Use and End Users2 clauses

⚠️

User liable for all End User activity

🛡️Limits their liability

4-A

💬 If anyone you invite to a Zoom meeting or give access to violates Zoom's rules, you are held responsible for their actions.

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“Users must ensure they and all End Users comply with Agreement terms. Users remain liable for all End User activities.”

⚠️

No liability for content accessed through Services

🛡️Limits their liability

4-B

💬 Zoom takes no responsibility for any content you encounter on the platform, even if it's incorrect or harmful.

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“Zoom bears no liability for data or content accessed through Services, including errors or omissions.”

10Data Usage, Licenses, and Responsibilities3 clauses

ℹ️

AI training exclusion for communications content

🤖AI training on your data

10-A

💬 Zoom explicitly promises not to use your meeting audio, video, chats, or screen shares to train AI models. This is a positive consumer protection.

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“Zoom does not use audio, video, chat, screen sharing, attachments or other communications-like Customer Content to train Zoom or third-party artificial intelligence models.”

⚠️

Service Generated Data belongs entirely to Zoom

📥Data collection

10-B

💬 All data about how you use Zoom — usage patterns, diagnostics, telemetry — is owned by Zoom, not you. They can use it however they want.

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“Telemetry, usage, and diagnostic data belong entirely to Zoom.”

ℹ️

Zoom may delete non-compliant content

🗄️Data retention

10-C

💬 If Zoom determines your content violates their rules, they can delete it without your prior approval.

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“Zoom may delete non-compliant content.”

12Payments and Charges4 clauses

⚠️

Non-refundable payments

🔄Auto-renews

12-A

💬 Once you pay, you generally can't get your money back, even if you stop using the service before the end of your subscription period.

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“All payments are non-cancelable and non-refundable unless otherwise agreed or required by Law.”

⚠️

Price changes with 30 days' notice

📝Can change terms anytime

12-B

💬 Zoom can raise prices by just giving you 30 days' notice. If you don't actively cancel during that window, you're automatically locked into the new price.

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“Zoom may change prices with thirty (30) days' notice or as prescribed by Law. Users may terminate affected Services within the notice period or shall be deemed to accept changes.”

⚠️

Termination for 5-day overdue payment

⛔Account termination

12-C

💬 If your payment is just 5 days late, Zoom can immediately cut off your service, potentially disrupting your business.

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“If payment remains overdue five (5) days after the due date, Zoom may terminate, suspend, or disconnect Services immediately.”

⚠️

Interest and collection fees on unpaid balances

📌Other

12-D

💬 If you owe Zoom money, they can charge you 18% annual interest plus attorney fees and collection costs on top of the unpaid balance.

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“Zoom may pursue collection activity for unpaid Charges and recover associated costs including collection fees and attorneys' fees. Interest accrues at 1.5% monthly or the maximum legal rate.”

14Term, Termination, and Suspension4 clauses

⚠️

Automatic renewal with 30-day cancellation window

🔄Auto-renews

14-A

💬 Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of each term unless you remember to cancel at least 30 days in advance. Miss the window and you're locked in for another full term.

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“Services automatically renew unless either party provides thirty (30) days' notice or required legal notice before renewal.”

🔴

Zoom can terminate for any reason

⛔Account termination

14-B

💬 Zoom reserves the right to end your account for any reason at all — they just have to give you 30 business days' notice. This means they can cut you off even if you've done nothing wrong.

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“Zoom may terminate for any reason with thirty (30) business days' notice.”

⚠️

30-day content retrieval window after termination

🗄️Data retention

14-C

💬 After your account is terminated, you only have 30 days to download your data before Zoom permanently deletes it.

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“Users receive thirty (30) days to retrieve Customer Content before deletion per applicable Law and Zoom procedures.”

⚠️

Charges continue during suspension

📌Other

14-D

💬 Even if Zoom suspends your account, you still have to keep paying. You're billed for service you can't use.

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“Payment obligations survive termination. Charges accrue during suspension periods.”

15Modifications to This Agreement2 clauses

🔴

Terms can change at any time

📝Can change terms anytime

15-A

💬 Zoom can change the terms of your agreement whenever they want simply by posting new terms online. If you keep using the service, you're automatically bound by the new rules.

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“Zoom may modify Terms with changes posted online and effective dates indicated. Continued use constitutes acceptance.”

🔴

Policies can change without notice

📝Can change terms anytime

15-B

💬 Zoom can change its policies — including acceptable use guidelines — without even telling you. You're expected to regularly check their website for changes.

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“Zoom may modify guides, policies, and notices with or without notice by posting updated versions online.”

16Zoom Proprietary Rights and Feedback1 clause

⚠️

Feedback becomes Zoom's property

📄Claims your content

16-A

💬 If you suggest a feature or improvement to Zoom, they own that idea completely and don't owe you anything — no credit, no payment.

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“All feedback, suggestions, and recommendations become Zoom property with no obligation to compensate users or attribute sources.”

17Confidentiality1 clause

⚠️

Confidential info disclosure without notice

🔗Shares with third parties

17-A

💬 Zoom can share your confidential information with governments or law enforcement and may choose not to tell you about it if they decide it's a safety or security matter.

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“Zoom may disclose Customer Confidential Information per Government Request Guide or as required by Law, with user notice unless prohibited or deemed unnecessary for safety/security by Zoom.”

24No Warranties1 clause

🔴

Complete warranty disclaimer

🛡️Limits their liability

24-A

💬 Zoom makes zero guarantees that its service will work correctly, be available when you need it, or produce accurate results. You use it entirely at your own risk.

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“Services and Software are provided "AS IS" with express disclaimers of all warranties including merchantability and fitness. Zoom makes no guarantees regarding results, accuracy, reliability, uninterrupted service, or error-free operation.”

25Indemnification1 clause

⚠️

Broad user indemnification of Zoom

🛡️Limits their liability

25-A

💬 If someone sues Zoom because of something you did on the platform, you have to pay Zoom's legal costs and any damages — even if Zoom's service contributed to the problem.

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“Users indemnify Zoom from third-party claims arising from user access, breaches, intellectual property violations, End User disputes, or personal injury related to user actions.”

26Limitation on Liability1 clause

🔴

Damages capped at 12 months of payments

🛡️Limits their liability

26-A

💬 No matter how much damage a Zoom failure causes your business — lost revenue, lost data, downtime — the most Zoom will ever pay you is what you paid them in the last 12 months. They won't cover any indirect or consequential losses at all.

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“Zoom excludes liability for special, indirect, consequential, or punitive damages; business losses; data loss; substitute goods costs; service interruptions; and damages exceeding amounts paid in the preceding twelve (12) months.”

27Dispute Resolution, Arbitration, and Class Action Waiver7 clauses

🔴

Mandatory binding arbitration

⚖️Forced arbitration

27-A

💬 You give up your right to sue Zoom in court. Instead, all disputes must go through private arbitration, which can be less transparent and harder for consumers to navigate.

▶Show original legal text

“All disputes arising from this Agreement or Services resolve through binding arbitration rather than court proceedings, including matters predating this Agreement.”

🔴

Class action and mass action waiver

🚫No class action

27-B

💬 You cannot join with other users to file a class action lawsuit against Zoom. You must fight any dispute entirely on your own, which makes it impractical to challenge small but widespread harms.

▶Show original legal text

“Parties cannot bring class, collective, or mass actions. Only individual claims proceed. Arbitrators award relief only to individual claimants.”

🔴

One-year filing deadline

⚖️Forced arbitration

27-C

💬 You only have one year to bring a claim against Zoom. After that, you permanently lose your right to seek any remedy, even if the normal statute of limitations would give you more time.

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“Claims must file within one (1) year of arising or are permanently barred.”

⚠️

Settlement offer cost-shifting

⚖️Forced arbitration

27-D

💬 If Zoom makes you a settlement offer and you reject it but don't win more in arbitration, you'll have to pay Zoom's legal costs from that point forward. This pressures consumers to accept lowball settlement offers.

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“Parties may serve judgment offers ten (10) days before hearings. Failure to obtain better awards results in the non-prevailing party paying post-offer costs including attorneys' fees.”

⚠️

Bellwether process delays mass claims

⚖️Forced arbitration

27-E

💬 If many people have the same complaint, only 16 cases are heard initially while everyone else has to wait indefinitely. This can significantly delay justice for most affected users.

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“For fifty (50) or more similar demands within one hundred eighty (180) days (a "Mass Filing"), parties select sixteen (16) individual cases for arbitration. Remaining cases stay in abeyance.”

⚠️

Narrow 30-day opt-out window for arbitration

📌Other

27-F

💬 You have only 30 days from creating your account to opt out of mandatory arbitration. Most users won't know about this option, and once the window passes, you're locked in.

▶Show original legal text

“Users may opt out via opt-out@zoom.us within thirty (30) days of April 1, 2023 (existing users) or account creation (new users). Opt-outs must be individualized from associated email addresses.”

🔴

Jury trial waiver

⚖️Forced arbitration

27-G

💬 You waive your constitutional right to a trial by jury. All disputes will be decided by a private arbitrator, not a jury of your peers.

▶Show original legal text

“Parties waive rights to jury trials and court proceedings in favor of arbitration.”

28Anonymized and Aggregated Data1 clause

ℹ️

Zoom uses de-identified user data freely

📥Data collection

28-A

💬 Zoom collects and uses anonymized data about how you use the platform — including for creating benchmarks and reports — with no restrictions since the data is de-identified.

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“Zoom obtains and aggregates de-identified data regarding user behavior to analyze, develop, and improve Services, including generating industry benchmarks and guidance.”

32Marketing1 clause

⚠️

Zoom can use your name and logo in marketing

📄Claims your content

32-A

💬 Zoom can publicly name you as a customer and use your company logo in their marketing without asking each time, which could be unwanted publicity.

▶Show original legal text

“Zoom may identify users as customers and use logos in marketing materials.”

33Miscellaneous2 clauses

ℹ️

Zoom can freely assign the agreement

📌Other

33-A

💬 You can't transfer your account to someone else, but Zoom can transfer the entire agreement to another company if they're acquired or merge, potentially putting your data under a different company's control.

▶Show original legal text

“Users cannot assign rights without consent. Zoom may assign rights upon merger, acquisition, asset sale, or to affiliates.”

ℹ️

California law and courts govern disputes

📍Jurisdiction

33-B

💬 If a dispute does go to court, it must be in California under California law, which may be inconvenient and expensive if you live elsewhere. EU/EEA/UK consumers retain their local consumer protections.

▶Show original legal text

“California law governs except arbitration provisions, governed by Federal Arbitration Act. Courts in Santa Clara County, California have exclusive jurisdiction.”

13Taxes1 clause

⚠️

Tax authority disclosure without notice

🔗Shares with third parties

13-A

💬 Zoom can share your billing and account information with tax authorities without telling you first.

▶Show original legal text

“Zoom may disclose customer information to tax authorities without advance notice as required by Law.”

Zoom terms of service, explained in plain English — TOSTLDR