Google Meet looks to match Zoom with key security features

Google’s move to lock Guard meetings held on the Google Meet video conferencing app – with the introduction of end-to-end encryption planned this year – could make the collaboration app a more robust option for clients in regulated industries.

The notification that Google plans to roll out optional end-to-end encryption for all meetings that, at some point in 2022, could also make the video conferencing app more competitive with Zoom, The app has provided security for all meetings. And Google Meet could also be ahead of Microsoft Teams. Microsoft already offers end-to-end encryption for one-on-one calls on Teams, but hasn’t announced when the feature will be available for team meetings.

In comments provided to VentureBeat via email on Friday, Google said end-to-end encryption “is designed for high-security meetings, often those that take place in regulated industries managed with stricter security requirements.”

The move also appears to be positioned to make Google Meet a more attractive option for government customers – a market segment that Google, yesterday, signaled it was looking to compete in. stronger with Microsoft.

Google didn’t say when in 2022, end-to-end encryption could be included in all meetings, only saying it would be “later this year.”

As part of the Google Workspace productivity suite, Google Meet offers video meetings with up to 500 participants, screen sharing, and live streaming to businesses with up to 100,000 viewers in their domain. , according to Google. The company recently didn’t disclose the size of its user base for Google Meet, but in April 2020 reported disclosure there are more than 100 million “daily Meet meeting participants”.

Encoding is available

By default, all data in Google Meet is encrypted in transit between the customer and Google, the company said. Google Meet records data stored in Google Drive that is also encrypted by default, according to Google.

Google Meet offers “enhanced security and privacy controls, including encryption in transit, proactive anti-abuse measures, and moderation controls to keep meetings safe,” the company said in its comments to VentureBeat.

Google also points to internal privacy assessments, along with independent verifications and certifications, as other important signs of its focus on security and privacy. Users can “trust the many layers we have in place to protect their privacy,” the company said.

Before end-to-end encryption arrives, Google Meet will next receive optional client-side encryption, which is currently in beta. The feature gives customers “direct control” of the required encryption keys, as well as the identity provider used to access the keys, according to Google.

In May, client-side encryption will become generally available to Google Meet customers (Business Plus, Enterprise Plus, and Education Plus customers).

For end-to-end encryption, this goes even further by ensuring that no intermediaries between the participants – not even the service provider or Google itself – can solve the problem. code and read any meeting data.

Pre-zoom introduce end-to-end encryption for all meetings by October 2020. Meanwhile, Microsoft rolled out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for one-on-one calls in December 2021.

“E2EE will initially only be available for one-on-one Teams calls,” Microsoft said in a document posted on its support. website. “After gathering customer feedback to understand how the feature addresses their compliance needs and obligations, we will work to bring E2EE capabilities to face-to-face meetings.”