As virtual meetings and events become more commonplace, the FBI is warning the public about people distributing child sexual abuse material through Zoom.
In the last few months, the FBI has received more than 195 reports of incidents across the United States and other countries where a Zoom participant was able to broadcast a video depicting child sexual abuse material. The FBI considers this act to be a violent crime, as every time the material is viewed, the child is re-victimized and the people who view the material inadvertently potentially also become victims.
The FBI is now working to apprehend those responsible for the distribution of such material, and it’s asking for the public’s help identifying them.
To do so, the FBI offers the following guidance:
If you are the administrator or host of a Zoom meeting in which such material was broadcast, please contact the FBI. Do not destroy any of your computer logs without further direction. If you recorded a Zoom meeting in which such material was broadcast, please contact the FBI for assistance in removing the material from your device. If you believe you are a victim of a child sexual abuse material broadcast during a Zoom event, please contact the FBI to learn about your victim rights and possible victim assistance. If you know who is committing these crimes, please contact the FBI.
The FBI also offered the following steps to mitigate future child sexual abuse material issues during Zoom events:
Do not make meetings or classrooms public. In Zoom, there are two options to make a meeting private. Require a meeting password. Use a waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests. Do not share a link to a teleconference or classroom on an unrestricted, publicly available social media post. Provide the link directly to specific attendees. Manage screen sharing options. In Zoom, change screen sharing to “Host-Only”.
If you are a victim of child sexual abuse material being broadcast during a Zoom event or if you have information about the identity of anyone distributing or producing such material, report it to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or anonymously online at tips.fbi.gov.
