## WebinarTV Secretly Scrapes & Posts Private Zoom Meetings for Anonymous Recovery Groups
A company that scrapes and republishes Zoom webinars has been secretly downloading and posting videos from private, anonymous support meetings. WebinarTV has uploaded recordings of sensitive gatherings, including addiction recovery programs, support groups for caregivers and the chronically ill, and even a meeting of nudists, often without the knowledge or consent of participants. These actions directly contradict the company's public claims of seeking permission, exposing a covert data harvesting operation that targets vulnerable communities seeking privacy.

WebinarTV founder Michael Robertson stated the company asks for permission to "promote" webinars. However, evidence shows WebinarTV scrapes and shares the videos first, only seeking consent after the fact. In one case, the Graves’ Disease & Thyroid Foundation (GDATF) hosted a vetted, private Zoom session intended as a confidential discussion, which still appeared on the site. Kimberly Dorris, GDATF's executive director, issued a public warning, stating the meeting "was not intended to be recorded." This pattern indicates a systematic process where privacy is violated by default.

The incident raises critical questions about digital consent and the security of platforms like Zoom for sensitive communications. It exposes participants in anonymous programs to potential public exposure and reputational harm, undermining the fundamental trust required for such support systems. The practice places WebinarTV under intense scrutiny for its data collection ethics and could prompt legal challenges or regulatory pressure regarding the unauthorized recording and distribution of private online meetings.
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- **Source**: 404 Media
- **Sector**: The Lab
- **Tags**: data privacy, Zoom, surveillance, support groups, Michael Robertson
- **Credibility**: unverified
- **Published**: 2026-04-13 14:22:40
- **ID**: 62130
- **URL**: https://whisperx.ai/en/intel/62130