Zoom rolls out new security features to reduce disruptions, trolling in virtual meetings

17-Nov-2020

Zoom had started adding a number of new security feature which will help prevent disruptions during virtual meetings and also allow users to remove and also report disruption by trolls. The video conferencing app is also rolling out called At-Risk Meetings Notifier which will alert hosts about the meetings which are at a high risk of being disrupted and getting trolled by some individuals. One of the new security enhancements implemented by Zoom is allowing hosts and co-hosts to temporarily pause their meeting and remove a disruptive participant. All users need to do is click on the Security icon and select Suspend Participant Activities. This will stop all video, audio, in-meeting chat, annotation, screen sharing, and recording. It will also end Breakout Rooms. In a blog post, Zoom says, "Under the Security icon, hosts and co-hosts now have the option to temporarily pause their meeting and remove a disruptive participant. By clicking �Suspend Participant Activities,� all video, audio, in-meeting chat, annotation, screen sharing, and recording during that time will stop, and Breakout Rooms will end. The hosts or co-host will be asked if they would like to report a user from their meeting, share any details, and optionally include a screenshot. Once they click �Submit,� the reported user will be removed from their meeting, and Zoom�s Trust & Safety team will be notified. Hosts and co-hosts may resume their meeting by individually re-enabling the features they�d like to use. Zoom will also send them an email after the meeting to gather more information. The Suspend Participant Activities feature is enabled by default for all free and paid Zoom users." Also, "This fall, Zoom deployed an At-Risk Meeting Notifier to scan public social media posts and other websites for publicly shared Zoom Meeting links. When the tool detects a meeting that looks to be at high risk of being disrupted, it automatically alerts the account owner by email and provides advice on what to do." These steps could include deleting the vulnerable meeting and creating a new one with a new meeting ID, enabling security settings, or using another Zoom solution, like Zoom Video Webinars or OnZoom.