(April 2020)
As many of us (and our “homeschooled” children) have seen the benefits of Zoom for our work; we also understand there are risks, evident by recent incidents where inappropriate content has been shared with meeting attendees. These incidents, commonly referred to as “Zoombombing,” happen when uninvited users enter a Zoom meeting to cause disruption.
This is not just an issue limited to Zoom – it is also happening with other web conferencing services. Below are several suggestions that you should consider, which will reduce these incidents from happening in the future:
Update your device and software. It is important to make sure your device’s operating system is up-to-date, and that you are running the most current version of Zoom.
Do not publish your Zoom meeting URL publicly. This reduces the risk that it may be shared or accessed by others via social media or other means.
Require a password when hosting meetings. When you enable password protection, the Meeting ID is not enough for users to enter the meeting. This provides an extra layer of security. Note that if you are allowing users to join via phone, you need to set a separate password for these users.
When possible, designate additional co-hosts. Co-hosts are not meeting leaders, but are responsible for monitoring the chat, managing questions, and assessing the general health of the space. Co-hosts can mute or remove participants as necessary.
Clearly communicate guidelines for engaging the space upfront. Some standard guidelines might include:
- Participants’ audio will be muted upon entering the space
- Use the hand raise function to be acknowledged by the moderator
- Private chat is disabled
- We reserve the right to mute or remove disruptive participants
Lock the meeting. Meeting hosts can prevent others from joining by using this function once anticipated attendees have joined.
Enable a Waiting Room. Before joining the meeting, users will first go into a Waiting Room and the meeting host can let them in selectively or all at once.
Disable Join Before Host. By disabling this function, users cannot enter the meeting until the host arrives.
Use new Meeting IDs for recurring meetings. If you are setting up recurring meetings, consider using a fresh Meeting ID each time to prevent the URL from being widely shared.