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Virtual chats can create real problems

FBI reports hundreds of cases of child sex abuse

Posted 5/27/20

People have probably heard of photo bombing, where individuals interject themselves in others’ photos for comedic effect.

But with virtual conferencing in the age of COVID-19, Zoom bombing …

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Virtual chats can create real problems

FBI reports hundreds of cases of child sex abuse

Posted

People have probably heard of photo bombing, where individuals interject themselves in others’ photos for comedic effect.

But with virtual conferencing in the age of COVID-19, Zoom bombing has taken a darker turn.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many organizations and schools to conduct virtual meetings or events, some of which are open to the public. However, links to many of these virtual events are being shared online, resulting in a lack of vetting of approved participants.

As of May 22, the FBI says it has received more than 240 reports over the last few months of incidents in the U.S. and other countries where a Zoom participant broadcasted a video depicting child sexual abuse material.

The FBI considers this activity to be a violent crime, as every time that material is viewed, the depicted child is re-victimized. Also, anyone who inadvertently sees child sexual abuse material depicted during a virtual event is potentially a victim.

People who believe they were exposed to materials like that during a Zoom meeting can fill out a questionnaire at www.bit.ly/fbizoom.

Responses are voluntary but are useful in federal investigations and help identify people as a potential victim. Based on the responses provided, the FBI may contact people and ask them to provide additional information.

Visit www.fbi.gov/ZoomCSAM for more information.

The FBI seeks the public’s help to identify anyone responsible for these types of crimes.

If you are the administrator or host of a Zoom meeting where child sex abuse material was broadcasted, contact the FBI. Do not delete or destroy any computer logs without further direction.

If you recorded a Zoom meeting where child sexual abuse material was broadcasted, contact the FBI for assistance in removing the material from your device.

If you believe you are a victim during a Zoom event, contact the FBI to learn about victim rights and possible victim assistance.

If you are a victim of child sexual abuse material being broadcasted during a Zoom event or if you have information regarding the identity of any individual distributing or producing it, contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or tips.fbi.gov.

Cases like that are part of what is known as Zoom bombing, or the takeover of Zoom meetings by people who are not supposed to be part of the meeting or those who are allowed but choose to take advantage of the setting.

“It’s mostly disruptive and mostly for shock value and people’s 15 seconds of fame,” said Terrance McGraw, federal president of PC Matic.

Mr. McGraw says Zoom bombing is mainly due to people not setting up privacy settings correctly, allowing anyone to participate without restrictions.

“Either deliberately or by accident, meaning I’ve posted my meeting room link on Facebook or Twitter because I want people to participate or I send it out in a blanket email that gets distributed,” he said. “If you don’t have a password for the room, then anyone can log in. So there’s some things you can do. And this is not only true for Zoom but for all of the teleconferencing software. Establish a password for the room.”

Zoom — and possibly other video conferencing applications — has a “waiting room” feature which allows the administrator to choose who to let into the meeting on an individual basis. Mr. McGraw says this feature is key to limiting Zoom bombings.

“This is a great feature for teachers and classrooms,” he said. “You establish a meeting hyperlink and you know what your attendance roster is for your students. You just allow in those students to participate in the meeting and then everyone else just gets excluded.”

Even if you’ve decided who to let into the meeting, you’re not totally off the hook. Zoom has a screen sharing feature that lets attendees display their device’s screen for all to see. Not limiting who can share their screen can lead to instances of people showing images and videos such as porn or violence.

Mr. McGraw recalled seeing a story where someone hijacked a meeting with hate speech — both written and vocally — because the administrator didn’t limit who could take over the presentation.

“Those can be precluded with the appropriate privacy settings in place,” he said. “Don’t publicize your room’s hyperlink. And if you do, because it’s a community meeting, lock down who can use the video, who can use the voice.”

If you do find someone Zoom bombing your meetings — especially if they’re publicizing illegal or disruptive material — remove them from the session and/or call local authorities.