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With so many of us turning to Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms to stay connected to one another, an unfortunate phenomenon is taking hold. “Zoombombing” is an instance in which an uninvited guest (or guests) uses Zoom’s screen-sharing feature to broadcast inappropriate content. Most Zoom meetings have a public link that, if clicked, allows anyone to join. Violators collect these links and share them in private chat groups, and then sign on to other people’s calls to cause mischief.

On Thursday, March 26, Zoom released an update to the default screen sharing settings for education accounts, in an effort to increase security and privacy for meetings. To learn more about these protective changes, click here.

In addition to these steps, everyone should follow these best practices:

  • Be sure your computer has the latest version of Zoom installed
  • Share your Zoom links with students directly or via D2L
  • Do not post links publicly or on social media
  • Watch the participant list while you are running the meeting.
    • The host has all the control so set your preferences accordingly
    • If you don’t recognize a name on your list of participants, question or eject them

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please contact the ITS Help Desk at 88i-8340, email helpdesk@canisius.edu or visit http://helpdesk.canisius.edu

Submitted by: Scott Clark, director of user services, ITS