ā€œZoom bombingā€ is when uninvited participants appear in a Zoom class with the primary purpose of causing chaos. To help mitigate the obtrusiveness, you may want to implement the following safety measures:

You will want to update the Zoom app and remind students and parents to do so, also. Zoom provides a pop-up notification when there is a new mandatory or optional update within 24 hours of signing-in. If you have the Zoom desktop client installed, you can check for updates by clicking on your profile image and then click Check for Updates.

If you use the ā€œRecurringā€ Zoom feature, it will not provide as a unique ID. Because the same ID and settings are used, it may make it easier for uninvited participants to access.

By enabling the Waiting Room feature, students will not be able to join the Zoom call until admitted. The teacher/host will be able to review who wants access and admit one participant at a time or use the ā€œAdmit Allā€ option.

You can remove participants or send them to the Waiting Room.

Once your students have joined the Zoom call, you can Lock the meeting. The Lock a Meeting feature will prevent unwanted guests from entering.

When students join using a parent account, the teacher/host can rename students from the chat rather than letting students rename themselves. By disabling the renaming feature, it removes the temptation for students to take on a different persona.

The Teacher/Host can always allow students to share their screens when needed.

By turning off the annotation and whiteboard features, participants will not be able to draw over the teacherā€™s presentation.

Do not share the meeting URL on social media so that uninvited guests will join the call. You may want to establish expectations with your students to not share the URL with people who are not in their class.

10. Hide Participant Profile Pictures in a MeetingĀ šŸ“·

When participantsā€™ cameras are turned off, and the Hide Participant Profile Picture feature is enabled, only the studentsā€™ initials will show. The feature prevents the possibility of students sharing inappropriate images.

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