A Grade 8 French class at School District No. 46 (SD46) was “Zoombombed” earlier this week.
A teacher was working with Grade 8 students using the video conferencing platform Zoom and “somehow somebody was able to share their screen and showed some inappropriate images,” superintendent Patrick Bocking told Coast Reporter.
While he did not see the content himself, he confirmed it was “offensive.”
A parent who posted about the incident on social media on April 15 said, “We unfortunately got Zoom bombed in the most horrific way with pictures that are not for children’s or anyone’s eyes.”
It’s unclear whether content was shared by a student or from someone outside the class, said Bocking.
The district has since taken measures to inform teachers how to use the platform as securely and privately as possible, including using a secure link, requiring students to seek permission to share their screens, and only admitting known students into video conference sessions. “It should be perfectly fine – just like a normal classroom, you only let kids you know in the door,” he said.
The California-based company has exploded in popularity since pandemic public health measures have kept people at home. Two hundred million people used the software in March, compared with 10 million last December. However, flaws in encryption that allow people to access meetings, reports the company shares user information with third parties such as Facebook, and other security and privacy complaints have tempered the company’s success.
Earlier this month, New York City and schools in other jurisdictions reportedly banned teachers from using the video-conferencing software citing security concerns, including Zoomboming.
Meanwhile at SD46, Bocking said this is the only known Zoom bomb occurrence and there are no plans to stop using the software.
Since the volume of conferences has “massively increased” over the last three weeks, “it might not be too surprising right now that there are some challenges,” he said.
Teachers across the province have been turning to the software since in-school instruction was suspended March 17 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
B.C.’s Ministry of Education has supported school districts in purchasing subscriptions, and its licensing agreement complies with B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, according to an April 1 ministry release announcing the funding.
The release says the Zoom server is based in Canada with added encryption, and school districts’ technology administrators can “control permissions and privileges, while disabling features that are unnecessary or inappropriate,” in order to “ensure safety and privacy for students.”
Bocking said the ministry was also working on a “province-wide rollout of Zoom that will have some enhanced features.”
The school district has also been using the software to hold its board and committee meetings, along with other local governments including the Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt and Sunshine Coast Regional District.
– With files from Sean Eckford
