Here's 8 Quick Tips To Keep You From Getting "Zoombombed" By Trolls
- Coronavirus
Like most things, not tweeting is always a good idea.
BySalvador Hernandez
If the link is visible to anyone but those you intended to invite to the meeting, then the meeting is no longer a private one.
“When you share your meeting link on social media or other public forums, that makes your event … extremely public,” according to Zoom.
That includes not just posts on social media, but on electronic school bulletin boards that can be accessible to anyone.
2. Use a password, duh!
Log into your Zoom account (on the web, not the app) and simply click on the Settings option on the left-hand side menu.
That will open up the password options for all Zoom meetings, including scheduled, instant, and personal ID meetings.
After the meeting is underway, it is still a good idea to lock it all down to prevent uninvited guests from arriving.
You can do this pretty quickly at the beginning of a meeting. Simply click on Manage Participants in the bottom menu of the screen. The list of participants will show up on the screen and, on the bottom right hand side you will see the options to Mute (also a good idea), Unmute All, or More.
Click on More, and then the option to Lock Meeting will show up, blocking any new participants from joining.
Kicking out trolls is probably the simplest solution if someone managed to crash one of your meetings.
All you have to do is go back to the Participants menu (bottom of your screen during a meeting). Once you go toward their name, the option to Remove will show up.
However, victims of “Zoombombing” told BuzzFeed News they have often seen their meetings infiltrated by dozens of unwanted guests. Sometimes, including in classes were multiple people are expected to join, up to a 100 unidentified trolls have managed to sneak their way in, suggesting that Zoombombing has regrettably turned into a group activity.
If this happens, kicking out individual offenders will be pretty burdensome, so making sure that you have locked down your meeting with passwords and randomized meeting IDs is the best way to go.
7. Don’t use your personal ID number
Your Personal ID number is like a never-ending meeting. Using this for any meeting is probably a bad idea, since trolls might use that to crash your meetings.
Instead, set up random meeting IDs.
This is done by clicking on your personal Settings and clicking on the Meeting tab.
Scroll down and disable the option to use your Personal Meeting ID when starting scheduled or instant meetings.
During the meeting, you can hover over the video of the user you would like to make your co-host and click on the three dots that appear to the top-right of their picture or video.
Once you click there, the option to Make Co-Host will appear, making them your ally to shut down any trolls or troublemakers.
To look at more tips on how to keep control of your Zoom meetings, look at the company’s guide on how to keep uninvited guests out.
Now go forth, and stay safe.
Salvador Hernandez is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Los Angeles.
Contact Salvador Hernandez at [email protected]
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
Source: Read Full Article