Zoom will enable waiting rooms by default to keep trolls out
It will also require passwords to enter calls starting on April 5th.
Zoom will make a couple of important security changes in an effort to prevent trolls from crashing shared video calls on the app. To be exact, it will require passwords to enter calls and will switch on waiting rooms by default starting on April 5th. The platform's explosive growth due to COVID-19 brought its security shortcomings into stark relief, and one of the biggest issues its users have to deal with is bad actors entering calls uninvited. According to TechCrunch, people "Zoombombing" calls usually go around guessing meeting IDs and then blasting participants with offensive imagery or just shouting profanities and slurs.
Company CEO Eric S. Yuan recently promised to dedicate all of Zoom's engineering resources to fixing its "biggest trust, safety, and privacy issues." The platform notified users about the changes in an email, telling them that the new security measures need to be enforced to protect their privacy.
Zoom will automatically include passwords in invites for scheduled meetings going forward. Those who had previously scheduled meetings for after April 5th are encouraged to resend their invites, so attendees won't have to ask for them. Also, now that waiting rooms are on by default, hosts will have to approve attendees before they can participate in a call. It could make hosting meetings a bit more difficult for those heading up large calls, but it's probably small price to pay to prevent unwanted guests from barging in.
