Acceptable use guidelines

Acceptable Use Guidelines
In this guide

Zoom supports the free and open exchange of thoughts and ideas. We are proud to facilitate meaningful conversations and professional collaboration around the world. Zoom provides a high-quality portal to domestic and cross-border communication that, in some places, might not otherwise take place. Below is a guide to the standards of behavior we expect of all our users.

If there are instances of violations of these Acceptable Use Guidelines, we want you to report it to us by using this form.

Zoom's trust and safety principles

Zoom is dedicated to delivering happiness to our users.

  • We bring together a diverse community of people to collaborate with each other.
  • We view it as a great privilege to support the variety of users who entrust us with their communications, from our roots in business to families and friends, to hospitals, legislatures, schools and universities.
  • We take seriously our duty to safeguard the free and open exchange of thoughts and ideas on Zoom.
  • We care deeply for our users and the virtual and physical communities in which they live, work, and play.
  • We are committed to providing our users with a welcoming, respectful and safe place to work, learn, play and share their voices.

Abuse

You may not engage in the targeted harassment of someone or encourage others to do so. We consider abusive behavior as an attempt to harass, intimidate, or silence someone else’s voice. Accounts that do so may be permanently suspended.

Hateful conduct

You may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease. We reserve the right to consider and add additional categories. You may not use your username, display name or profile information to abuse or threaten anyone. Accounts that do so may be permanently suspended. Moreover, there is no place on Zoom for organizations that promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.

Hateful conduct policy

There is no place for hateful conduct on Zoom. If you engage in hateful conduct, including, for example, posting or sending hateful imagery, making violent threats, targeting others with hateful or abusive speech, including profanity, or encourage anyone else to do those things, you will be blocked from Zoom.

  • We believe that hateful conduct is conduct that promotes violence against or directly attacks or threatens other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease. We will not allow access to Zoom to those who have used or intend to use it for the purpose of inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories.
  • We believe that hateful imagery includes logos, symbols, or images whose purpose is to promote hostility and malice against others based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease. Some examples of hateful imagery include:
    • symbols historically associated with hate groups (e.g., the Nazi swastika);
    • images depicting others as less than human, or altered to include hateful symbols (e.g., altering images of individuals to include animalistic features);
    • images altered to include hateful symbols or references to a mass murder that targeted a protected category (e.g., manipulating images of individuals to include yellow Star of David badges, in reference to the Holocaust).
  • We believe violent threats include declarative statements of intent to inflict injuries that would result in death or serious and lasting bodily harm. We also believe that hateful or abusive speech, including the use of profanity to harass or abuse, has no place on Zoom. Please see our Violent Threats Policy for more information.
  • If you are found to have violated this policy, you will be permanently suspended from Zoom. If you believe our finding is wrong, you can submit an appeal.

Glorification of violence

You may not use Zoom to threaten or call for violence, serious physical harm, death, or disease to an individual or group of people. We also prohibit the celebration of any violent act that may inspire others to replicate it or that targets people because of their membership in a protected group. Repeated violations will result in permanent suspension.

Violent threats policy

There is no place for violent threats or the glorification of violence on Zoom.

  • We believe that violent threats include statements of an intent to kill or inflict serious physical harm on a specific person or group of people. We define stating an intent includes statements like “I will”, “I’m going to”, or “I plan to”, as well as conditional statements like “If you do X, I will.” Some examples of violent threats include:
    • threatening to kill someone;
    • threatening to sexually assault someone;
    • threatening to seriously hurt someone and/or commit a violent act that could lead to someone’s death or serious physical injury;
    • asking for or offering a financial reward in exchange for inflicting violence on a specific person or group of people.

Illegal or certain regulated goods or services

You may not use Zoom to promote, trade, or engage in the following:

  • Counterfeit goods and services;
  • Drugs and controlled substances;
  • Human smuggling or trafficking;
  • Products made from endangered or protected species;
  • Sexual services;
  • Gambling, betting or wagering activities;
  • Unauthorized multi-level marketing businesses;
  • Stolen goods; or
  • Content related to weapons - including firearms, ammunition, and explosives - that takes place outside of a safe and controlled environment. You may not use Zoom for content related to homemade weapons, including bombs, 3D printed guns, etc. You also may not use Zoom to engage with weapons in a way that violates other Acceptable Use Guidelines or Zoom’s Terms of Service.

Sensitive content

Sensitive content is prohibited on Zoom. We define sensitive content as content that depicts or promotes graphic violence, adult content, gratuitous gore, hateful imagery, and child exploitation material. We consider graphic violence to be any form of gory media related to death, serious injury, violence, or surgical procedures. We consider adult content to include pornography and other content intended to cause sexual arousal, and most nudity. We consider child exploitation material to be any content that depicts or promotes sexual abuse or activity involving children. This type of content will not be tolerated on Zoom. Accounts that violate the Sensitive Content Policy may be permanently suspended.

Sensitive content policy

There is no place on Zoom for certain sensitive content, including graphic violence, adult content, gratuitous gore, hateful imagery, and child sexual exploitation material.

  • We believe graphic violence is media that depicts death, violence, or serious physical injury in graphic detail. Some examples include:
    • violent crimes or accidents;
    • physical fights;
    • physical child abuse;
    • bodily fluids including blood, feces, semen, etc.;
    • serious physical harm, including visible wounds; and
    • severely injured or mutilated animals.
  • We believe adult content is any media that is pornographic or intended to be sexually gratifying, whether photo or video, cartoon or animated. In the case of nudity, we restrict it by default to prevent people from sharing non-consensual or underage content, and out of consideration for those in our communities who may be sensitive to it. We understand that nudity can be shared for a variety of reasons, including for educational or medical reasons. Where such intent is clear, we may make allowances.
  • We believe gratuitous gore is any media that depicts excessively graphic or gruesome content related to death, violence or severe physical harm, or violent content that is shared for sadistic purposes. Some examples include:
    • dismembered or mutilated humans;
    • charred or burned human remains;
    • exposed internal organs or bones;
    • animal torture or killing (exceptions are made for food preparation or processing, and hunting).
  • We believe child sexual exploitation material is any content that depicts or promotes sexual abuse or activity with children. Some examples include:
    • visual depictions of a child engaging in sexually explicit or sexually suggestive acts;
    • illustrated, computer-generated or other forms of realistic depictions of a human child in a sexually explicit context, or engaging in sexually explicit acts;
    • sexualized commentaries about or directed at a known or unknown minor;
    • links to third-party sites that host child sexual exploitation material;
    • sharing fantasies about or promoting engagement in child sexual exploitation;
    • expressing a desire to obtain materials that feature child sexual exploitation;
    • recruiting, advertising or expressing an interest in a commercial sex act involving a child, or in harboring and/or transporting a child for sexual purposes;
    • sending sexually explicit media to a child;
    • engaging or trying to engage a child in a sexually explicit conversation;
    • trying to obtain sexually explicit media from a child or trying to engage a child in sexual activity through blackmail or other incentives; and
    • identifying alleged victims of childhood sexual exploitation by name or image.
  • If you are found to have violated the Sensitive Content policy, you will be blocked from the Zoom platform. If you believe our finding is wrong, you can submit an appeal.
  • If the violation is related to child sexual exploitation material Zoom will make a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or other entities as required by law. Where warranted, we may make a report to law enforcement.

Suicide or self-harm

You may not promote or encourage suicide or self-harm. When we receive reports that a person is threatening suicide or self-harm, we may take a number of steps to assist them, such as reaching out to that person and providing resources such as contact information for mental health professionals. If you see any information on Zoom indicating that someone might harm themselves, please let us know as soon as possible by filing this report.

Violent extremist groups

We prohibit accounts that affiliate with organizations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their causes, either on or off the platform.

Terrorism and violent extremism policy

There is no place for terrorist or violent extremist groups on Zoom, or for those who affiliate with them or promote their activities.

  • We believe terrorist organizations are those groups subject to national and international terrorism designations.
  • We believe violent extremist groups are those groups that:
    • identify through their stated purpose, publications, or actions as an extremist group; have engaged in, or currently engage in, violence and/or the promotion of violence as a means to further their cause; and
    • target civilians in their acts and/or promotion of violence.
  • We will examine a group’s activities both on and off Zoom to determine whether they engage in and/or promote violence against civilians to advance a political, religious and/or social cause.
  • Some specific examples of prohibited conduct under this policy:
    • engaging in or promoting acts on behalf of a terrorist organization or violent extremist group;
    • recruiting for a terrorist organization or violent extremist group;
    • providing or distributing services (e.g., financial, media/propaganda) to further a terrorist organization’s or violent extremist group’s stated goals;
    • using the insignia or symbols of terrorist organizations or violent extremist groups to promote them.
  • If you are found to have violated this policy, you will be blocked from the Zoom platform. If you believe our finding is wrong, you can submit an appeal.

Private information

You may not post other people's private information without their express permission, or threaten to do so, or try to get others to do so. In other words, no doxxing. Accounts that do so may be permanently suspended. Private information can include home address or physical location information, including street addresses, GPS coordinates or other identifying information related to locations that are considered private; identity documents, including government-issued IDs and social security or other national identity numbers; photo images of them; contact information, including non-public personal phone numbers or email addresses; financial account information, including bank account and credit card details; and other private information, including biometric data or medical records.

Spam

You may not use Zoom to spam anyone. Accounts that do so may be permanently suspended. Spam is generally defined as mass unsolicited or aggressive activity that attempts to manipulate or disrupt Zoom or the experience of Zoom users to drive traffic or attention to unrelated accounts, products, services, or initiatives.

Copyright, trademark, defamation, right of publicity, and impersonation

You may not upload or distribute content on Zoom that you do not have a right to transmit under any law, including trademark and copyright law, or under contractual or fiduciary relationships. You also may not use Zoom to defame others, impersonate anyone, or use another’s name or image without their permission. Accounts that do so may be permanently suspended.

  • Copyright is a form of legal protection for original works, like books, movies, photos and music. Copyright law prevents others from copying or displaying another’s work without permission subject to a few exceptions, most commonly fair use. “Fair use” is typically a use for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.
  • A trademark is a word, logo, phrase, or design that distinguishes a trademark owner’s good or service in the marketplace. Trademark law prevents someone from using a trademark to confuse others about whether a product or service is authentic, or to suggest that there is a relationship with the trademark owner when there is not.
  • Defamation (slander/libel) is to make false statements about someone that damage that person’s reputation.
  • The “right of publicity” is using someone else’s name, persona, or image for marketing or advertising purposes without their permission.
  • Impersonation is pretending to be someone you are not.

AI

You may not use Zoom's AI features, including AI Companion, in any way that violates the Acceptable Use Guidelines, including to:

  • make a decision with significantly limited or no human input that produces legal or similarly significant effects, including provision or denial of financial or lending services, housing, insurance, education enrollment or opportunity, criminal justice, employment opportunities, health care services or access to essential goods or services
  • attempt to infer a person's emotional state from their physical, physiological, or behavioral characteristics based on non-text inputs (e.g., facial expressions, facial movements, or speech patterns)
  • attempt to categorize people based on their biometric data to deduce or infer their race, political opinions, trade union membership, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex-life or sexual orientation
  • unlawfully impersonate the voice or image of any person, including to unlawfully gain information or privileges

Updates

Zoom's policies may require modifications in order to comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. Any such changes to Zoom's policies will be posted here. If you would like to receive notification of updates to our policies, please provide your email address in the box below.