Zoom bombing

June 26, 2020

 Division of Student Affairs

Dear Campus Community,
 
We are writing after learning about yet another incident of Zoom bombing, in which one or more uninvited participants enter into a Zoom call, event, meeting or class session and disrupt it in some way. Sadly, many of the Zoom bombing instances campus leaders have been made aware of involve the use of racial epithets and other forms of discriminatory and hateful language.
 
As your campus leaders who are charged with securing information technology and building a sense of community, we want to state in no uncertain terms that campus leadership condemns these racist and anti-Black actions and we are continuing efforts to strengthen security and privacy settings as mechanisms to prevent further acts of Zoom bombing. This toolkit is available to the Berkeley community to assist with creating a healthy virtual environment .

Despite these support tools, we do not have entire control over the technical aspects of the applications we use. Yet, we are committed to putting in place as many preventive measures as possible to provide secure and welcoming online environments. We encourage the campus community to visit the Information Security Office website for support and advice on how to prevent Zoom bombing. If you are planning a large or public event, the Zoom team can consult with you on how to set up your zoom account to take advantage of all of the security settings.  
 
If you have experienced Zoom bombing that attacks on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation or other protected category, or is sexually explicit, we encourage you to report the incident to zoom-misuse@berkeley.edu or our Stop Hate website, along with the campus Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination. Again, campus leadership has zero tolerance for Zoom bombing of the sort we have described, and such incidents will be fully investigated.
 
We understand also that it can be disturbing and jarring to experience Zoom bombing. There are many campus resources for students, faculty, and staff if you wish to speak with someone about your experience.

  • Students may contact UC Berkeley Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Counselors are available for phone and video counseling appointments. There are also new online self-help tools. Visit the CAPS website or call (510) 642-9494 or, after-hours, (855) 817-5667. CAPS employs mental health professionals trained to provide support to individuals from a wide array of identities, including traditionally marginalized or disenfranchised groups.
  • Students may also contact the Office of the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students for help navigating resources: deanofstudents@berkeley.edu.
  • Staff and faculty may take advantage of our Employee Assistance program for no-cost confidential counseling and referral.


Finally, please join us in upholding our campus Principles of Community.

Respectfully,

Stephen C. Sutton
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Sunny Lee
Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students

Jenn Stringer
Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer

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