With many students, faculty and staff participating in Zoom calls for classes, meetings and events, the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion encourages the University community to report any incidents that have been described as “Zoom-Bombing” – the intentional disruption of online interactions that often includes hateful language and/or disturbing images.
“The term ‘Zoom-Bombing’ belies the seriousness of this behavior,” Vice President Meshea L. Poore said. “The Zoom attacks that have occurred within our campus community are not pranks or jokes. Grounded in hate, these attacks have been racist, sexist and homophobic. They are not acceptable. WVU will investigate every attack reported to us and will hold persons accountable for their involvement.”
Specific Zoom settings may depend on the type of event scheduled – class, webinar, group meeting, or office hours for example. In general, it is recommended to:
· Restrict meetings to “WVU Users Only" when appropriate to help minimize risk of unauthorized access;
· Require advance registration and use email to send the link to join (do not post access links on public web pages);
· Use a waiting room and screen guests as they arrive;
· Disable video, audio, and screen sharing without Host permission[TB1] ;
· Know how to mute all participants (consider doing so upon entry) and how to remove participants.
For more suggestions and instructions visit the TLC help page on Zoom Security.
There should always be a plan of what to do if an attack occurs. The host/organizer/facilitator (or a designee) should take immediate action to acknowledge what is happening and take steps to mute and remove the disrupters from the call. Acknowledgement can be as simple as stating, “I/we apologize to everyone for this inappropriate attack. We are taking actions to remove those responsible and will report this for investigation. This is very disturbing and if you feel you need to leave the call in the meantime, we certainly understand.”
In addition the host/organizer/facilitator should report the attack to the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s Office of Equity Assurance. This will start a formal investigation that may involve law enforcement, Student Conduct, Talent and Culture and IT Services to identify the disrupters and take action as appropriate.
Those participating on such a call are also encouraged to report the attack. In addition to helping document the attack and providing information for an investigation, there are support services available to help attendees in the aftermath, including counseling with the Carruth Center and WVU Faculty and Staff Assistance Program.
“We are glad the semester is getting underway,” said Poore. “WVU’s goal is to provide a positive and welcoming atmosphere in which everyone can thrive.”