Zoom meeting access:

[Obsolesce]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

I have a thought, here is the meeting I'm testing...

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7307533530

I have a feeling that the ability to use a web browser might be a "paid for" feature that is based on the customer, not on the end user? I get Zoom meeting invites all the time, and never have I been given a browser option.

But maybe you have someone generating Zoom invites who is paying for or setting that up as an option?

I'll give that a try later and let you know. I still have the default tests available, but I'm not at the computer atm.

[black3dynamite]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

Here is someone in another country, on macOS...

Looks like it tries, maybe, but it never loads. It always just says Launching and offers to have you download.

Click the "click here" link.

This will appear.

[scottalanmiller]

@black3dynamite said in Zoom meeting access::

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

Here is someone in another country, on macOS...

Looks like it tries, maybe, but it never loads. It always just says Launching and offers to have you download.

Click the "click here" link.

This will appear.

I get there, but it never, for me, shows that additional link.

[black3dynamite]

Fedora 31 Workstation (GNOME3)
Google Chrome
Zoom Meeting app already installed.
Already signed in on zoom.us with my personal account.
Zoom URL: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7307533530

[scottalanmiller]

@black3dynamite said in Zoom meeting access::

Already signed in on zoom.us with my personal account.

That might change it. I don't have a Zoom account, I use anonymously like, I assume, most people. Since I'm only a Zoom end user, not using an account, I'm not signed in. No reason to be.

[stacksofplates]

So I've been curious. There is a hidden field that sometimes shows up and sometimes doesn't. It's:

<input type="hidden" id="show_wclink_direct">

The js script at the bottom of the page is looking for that.

var wcLink = $(".webclient");
if ($('#show_wclink_direct').length > 0 && wcLink.length > 0) {
wcLink.show();
}

However sometimes that show_wclink_direct id never shows up in the webpage so it doesn't apply that show method.

That's all I've got so far, but I'm curious as to what's going on.

[stacksofplates]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

@black3dynamite said in Zoom meeting access::

Already signed in on zoom.us with my personal account.

That might change it. I don't have a Zoom account, I use anonymously like, I assume, most people. Since I'm only a Zoom end user, not using an account, I'm not signed in. No reason to be.

How do you join a meeting without signing up? There's no option to do that. Once you click the view in the browser link it makes you sign in.

[Obsolesce]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

I have a thought, here is the meeting I'm testing...

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7307533530

I have a feeling that the ability to use a web browser might be a "paid for" feature that is based on the customer, not on the end user? I get Zoom meeting invites all the time, and never have I been given a browser option.

But maybe you have someone generating Zoom invites who is paying for or setting that up as an option?

Okay, so. From a fresh install of Fedora Workstation (but updated via dnf update) and default install of Firefox:

Then from the meeting url you posted @scottalanmiller:

The results were exactly the same in the fresh installs of Windows 10 and Ubuntu, default Edge and Firefox.

This tells me the meeting settings (or meeting itself) somehow disables the usage via web browser feature.

EDIT:
Google Chrome in a fresh Windows 10 install does give the option, but not in Fedora:

[Obsolesce]

@scottalanmiller

Perhaps on your meeting, you disabled the ability?

[scottalanmiller]

@Obsolesce said in Zoom meeting access::

This tells me the meeting settings (or meeting itself) somehow disables the usage via web browser feature.

Bizarre, but that would make sense from what we are seeing. What's odd is that no matter where I get the Zoom invite from, I've never gotten one that offered the web option - and I look every time because I absolutely hate these stupid apps. Zoom has the best app, but I still just want to run in the browser. WebEx and others don't even work, so the gap is pretty big between Zoom and the crappy wanna-bes.

I wonder if it is a paid-for feature perhaps.

[scottalanmiller]

@Obsolesce said in Zoom meeting access::

@scottalanmiller

Perhaps on your meeting, you disabled the ability?

Doesn't seem likely as I don't have any settings. But you can see the line ABOVE the one you highlight shows the problem - only people with Zoom accounts (but that's free) AND signed in get the option. I'm guessing that you've been signing in in some way. I don't have a Zoom account, and would never, ever have thought that there'd be a reason for one, so it never crossed my mind to make one and nothing in the Zoom meeting joining process does it make it feel like you should.

That's a bizarre requirement for the most basic feature, I feel. Like I don't want to be signed in to Zoom, or to have an account, to use someone else's teleconference system. Nor do I want to install an app for it for sure. It all feels very aggressive when they could easily have just provided an anonymous join from browser option.

Especially given that Zoom has been caught selling personal data, this feels like they are trying to collect data that I'm not okay with them having.

[Obsolesce]

[Obsolesce]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

@Obsolesce said in Zoom meeting access::

@scottalanmiller

Perhaps on your meeting, you disabled the ability?

Doesn't seem likely as I don't have any settings. But you can see the line ABOVE the one you highlight shows the problem - only people with Zoom accounts (but that's free) AND signed in get the option. I'm guessing that you've been signing in in some way.

I have not been signing in, I only have been looking for and confirming the join from browser link, not following it through to inside a meeting. I don't have an account either.

[scottalanmiller]

@Obsolesce said in Zoom meeting access::

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

@Obsolesce said in Zoom meeting access::

@scottalanmiller

Perhaps on your meeting, you disabled the ability?

Doesn't seem likely as I don't have any settings. But you can see the line ABOVE the one you highlight shows the problem - only people with Zoom accounts (but that's free) AND signed in get the option. I'm guessing that you've been signing in in some way.

I have not been signing in, I only have been looking for and confirming the join from browser link, not following it through to inside a meeting. I don't have an account either.

Odd, in their docs it says right there that it's only available when signed in.

Maybe it's completely random?

[Obsolesce]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

That's a bizarre requirement for the most basic feature, I feel. Like I don't want to be signed in to Zoom, or to have an account, to use someone else's teleconference system. Nor do I want to install an app for it for sure. It all feels very aggressive when they could easily have just provided an anonymous join from browser option.
Especially given that Zoom has been caught selling personal data, this feels like they are trying to collect data that I'm not okay with them having.

I agree. This is also why we at my current employment are not allowed to use Zoom for work, as it doesn't meet our security or GDPR requirements. It's been like that for years AFAIK.

[black3dynamite]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

@Obsolesce said in Zoom meeting access::

@scottalanmiller

Perhaps on your meeting, you disabled the ability?

Doesn't seem likely as I don't have any settings. But you can see the line ABOVE the one you highlight shows the problem - only people with Zoom accounts (but that's free) AND signed in get the option. I'm guessing that you've been signing in in some way. I don't have a Zoom account, and would never, ever have thought that there'd be a reason for one, so it never crossed my mind to make one and nothing in the Zoom meeting joining process does it make it feel like you should.

That's a bizarre requirement for the most basic feature, I feel. Like I don't want to be signed in to Zoom, or to have an account, to use someone else's teleconference system. Nor do I want to install an app for it for sure. It all feels very aggressive when they could easily have just provided an anonymous join from browser option.

Especially given that Zoom has been caught selling personal data, this feels like they are trying to collect data that I'm not okay with them having.

Don't you have a dummy email account that you can use to avoid giving away personal data?

[scottalanmiller]

@black3dynamite said in Zoom meeting access::

Don't you have a dummy email account that you can use to avoid giving away personal data?

I almost never do that, but certainly could. In this case, it never occurred to me to do it because... why? What would prompt someone that isn't hosting meetings to have a Zoom account? Never crossed my mind even to be an option.

[Dashrender]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

@Obsolesce said in Zoom meeting access::

@scottalanmiller

Perhaps on your meeting, you disabled the ability?

Doesn't seem likely as I don't have any settings. But you can see the line ABOVE the one you highlight shows the problem - only people with Zoom accounts (but that's free) AND signed in get the option. I'm guessing that you've been signing in in some way. I don't have a Zoom account, and would never, ever have thought that there'd be a reason for one, so it never crossed my mind to make one and nothing in the Zoom meeting joining process does it make it feel like you should.

That's a bizarre requirement for the most basic feature, I feel. Like I don't want to be signed in to Zoom, or to have an account, to use someone else's teleconference system. Nor do I want to install an app for it for sure. It all feels very aggressive when they could easily have just provided an anonymous join from browser option.

Especially given that Zoom has been caught selling personal data, this feels like they are trying to collect data that I'm not okay with them having.

How can they sell your data if you don't install an app that can steal your data behind the scenes, or have you sign into their website?

[Dashrender]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

@black3dynamite said in Zoom meeting access::

Don't you have a dummy email account that you can use to avoid giving away personal data?

I almost never do that, but certainly could. In this case, it never occurred to me to do it because... why? What would prompt someone that isn't hosting meetings to have a Zoom account? Never crossed my mind even to be an option.

Agreed.

[JaredBusch]

@scottalanmiller said in Zoom meeting access::

Doesn't seem likely as I don't have any settings.

Bullshit. you are making a meeting. You have settings.

If you are not making the meeting, then whoever is has the settings.