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Zoom call misery will be punctuated by ads for free users

If you’re not thoroughly sick of Zoom work calls by now, there’s a Sainthood waiting for you with a first class ticket to the pearly gates, when you eventually pop off this mortal coil.

Whether it was worries about security, the long absence of end-to-end encryption, whether the company planned to sell you out to the government, having to deal with ‘zoombombers’ with their tackle out, or the general fatigue of looking at yourself on the screen all day, this massive change in the way we work hasn’t been ideal for everyone.

Now, here come the advertisements to well-and-truly cement the misery of using this app that’ll always be associated with the pandemic in the same way as that bloody “Thank You Baked Potato,” song by Matt Lucas.

In a blog post, the company said users of the free Basic tier will begin to see advertisements whenever they hang-up a call. So, whether you pay or not, you’re paying for it. Judging by the screenshot below, they won’t be too invasive, thankfully.

Zoom Ads

“For this initial program, ads will be rolled out only on the browser page users see once they end their meeting. Only free Basic users in certain countries will see these ads if they join meetings that are hosted by other free Basic users,” writes chief marketing officer Janine Pelosi in a blog post.

“We have carefully and thoughtfully considered how to implement this advertising pilot program, and we have done so with the goal of ensuring user choice. Users will see a banner on Zoom’s website that provides a link that takes them to our cookie management tool.”

How have you adjusted to the Zoom-centric way of working over the last 18 months or so? Are you happy working remotely? Or are you keen to get back to real interactions with colleagues? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.

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