Zoom Provides Update Addressing Zoombombing

The video conferencing platform Zoom made available a security update to help users prevent Zoombombing.

Zoombombing is when people disrupt a call, often with anti-Semitic memes and messages in the group chat and sometimes with pornography. According to an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) post, the update provides a security button allowing hosts to lock the meeting – meaning new users can’t join – as well as requiring all attendees to be put in a virtual waiting room, allowing the hosts to screen attendees before the call starts. The security button also gives hosts the option to stop call attendees from sharing screens and the option to disable the chat feature in the call.

“This update is an important step,” the ADL wrote. “These updates, if they function as intended, will provide quicker access for users to some of the basic security measures on the platform, and will likely ensure greater safety for users from Zoombombing.”

The ADL also published a post on April 8 outlining steps hosts can take when a call is Zoombombed. It recommends recording the incident and taking screenshots to provide evidence to law enforcement on the matter. Under the “participants” icon, hosts can remove Zoombombers from the call.

The New York City Department of Education and Nevada’s Clark County School District have banned schools in their respective areas from using Zoom for their online classes. Additionally, on April 8, Google banned its employees from using Zoom on their corporate laptops. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda told Buzzfeed that Zoom “does not meet our security standards for apps used by our employees. Employees who have been using Zoom to stay in touch with family and friends can continue to do so through a web browser or via mobile.”