Google Meet looks to match Zoom with key security feature

Google’s move to lock down the security of meetings held on its Google Satisfy videoconferencing software — with the planned introduction of end-to-conclude encryption this 12 months — could make the collaboration application a much better choice for prospects in controlled industries.

The announcement that Google plans to roll out optional end-to-conclusion encryption for all conferences, at some point in 2022, could also make the videoconferencing application extra aggressive with Zoom, which now offers the protection feature for all meetings. And Google Meet up with could potentially leapfrog Microsoft Groups, as perfectly. Microsoft presently provides conclusion-to-conclude encryption for one-on-one phone calls on Teams, but has not introduced when the characteristic may well be arriving for team conferences.

In reviews presented to VentureBeat by e mail on Friday, Google explained that conclude-to-stop encryption “is made for conferences that demand heightened confidentiality, ordinarily those occurring in controlled industries with a lot more strict protection prerequisites.”

The transfer would also seem positioned to make Google Satisfy a additional-pleasing selection for government customers — a section of the sector where Google, yesterday, signaled that it is on the lookout to compete additional aggressively with Microsoft.

Google did not specify when in 2022 conclusion-to-conclude encryption may perhaps be coming to all conferences, expressing only that it will be “later this calendar year.”

A part of the Google Workspace suite of productivity applications, Google Fulfill features video conferences with up to 500 individuals, display-sharing and reside-streaming for businesses to up to 100,000 viewers in their domain, according to Google. The company has not recently disclosed the dimension of its consumer base for Google Satisfy, but in April 2020 experienced reportedly disclosed acquiring extra than 100 million “daily Fulfill meeting members.”

Current encryption

By default, all facts in Google Meet is already encrypted in transit amongst the consumer and Google, the business suggests. Google Meet up with recordings knowledge that is saved in Google Generate is also encrypted by default, in accordance to Google.

Google Satisfy provides “advanced stability and privacy controls, like encryption in transit, proactive counter-abuse steps and moderation controls to keep conferences safe,” the firm reported in its remarks to VentureBeat.

Google also pointed to inside privacy evaluations, together with impartial verifications and certifications, as other critical indications of its target on stability and privacy. Buyers can “have self confidence in the lots of layers we have in put to safeguard their privateness,” the firm said.

In advance of finish-to-stop encryption comes, Google Fulfill will future be having optional shopper-aspect-encryption, which is at this time in beta. The function offers shoppers with “direct control” of the needed encryption keys, as effectively as the id provider leveraged to accessibility the keys, in accordance to Google.

In Might, customer-side-encryption will move into basic availability for Google Meet up with prospects (Company In addition, Organization Additionally and Education and learning Plus prospects).

For close-to-conclusion encryption, the feature goes even even more by making sure that no intermediary in between individuals — not even a service supplier or Google by itself — can decrypt and examine any of the meeting data.

Zoom first launched end-to-close encryption for all meetings in Oct 2020. Microsoft, meanwhile, introduced stop-to-finish encryption (E2EE) for 1-on-just one calls in December 2021.

“Initially E2EE will be accessible only for a person-on-1 Groups phone calls,” Microsoft said in a document posted on its assistance site. “After gathering purchaser feed-back to understand how the element addresses their compliance requires and obligations, we will work to convey E2EE capabilities to on the web meetings.”