Setting up to host a secure AA meeting

Zoom bombers, also known as trolls, continue to try to disrupt meetings. Some are able to show disturbing content on attendees’ screens. Enabling one or more co-hosts, being alert, and following these suggestions will minimise their impact.

Step 1

Go to www.zoom.us

Sign up or create an account and sign in.

Step 2: Security

Once signed in to your account, click on Settings as shown below.

We recommend enabling the Waiting Room, as shown above – it will let you filter out any obvious zoom bombers before they get into the meeting.

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Some groups use a passcode (turned off in the example above) – some don’t. Considerations are discussed here.[GD1]  If you do use a passcode, you’ll need to distribute it to attendees. It can be embedded in the meeting invitation link (‘Embed passcode in invite link for one-click join’, above) – but anyone (including zoom bombers!) with that link can come straight into the meeting unless you have a waiting room enabled.

If you do decide to use a passcode, and you want people to be able to attend by phone, use only numbers (not letters) in the passcode by selecting ‘Require passcode for participants joining by phone’, above.

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Step 3: Video and Audio

Select ‘Host video on’ and ‘Participants video on’, as shown above.

Select ‘Telephone and Computer Audio’ so that members can join the meeting from a computer, mobile phone or landline.

Turn off ‘Allow participants to join before host’

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Step 4: Mute all participants when they join a meeting

This setting prevents attendees from unknowingly or intentionally disrupting the meeting as they arrive.

Step 5 Encryption and chat

Enable ‘Require encryption for 3rd party endpoints (SIP/H.323)’.

Unless you want attendees chatting to each other during the meeting, select Hosts and co-hosts (so that attendees can ask questions etc.). Enable ‘Allow users to save chats from the meeting’ if you want attendees to be able to save the chat (for phone numbers and other useful information the host and co-host put in the chat).

Step 6: Co-host

Enable the Co-host functionality so that you can select members to help moderate the meeting. When the meeting is running:

  • On a computer, hover over a (trusted) attendee’s video and three dots will appear: select those to make the attendee a co-host
  • On a smartphone or tablet, select the attendee you want from the Participants list and the option will appear.

Step 7: Screen sharing

Either disable screen sharing altogether, or (if you want to be share readings etc.) make sure Host Only is selected (very important for avoiding disruptions!)

Step 8: More security

Disable these settings as shown above, to stop zoom bombers hijacking the whole meeting.

Step 9: Even more security

Disable ‘Far end camera control’ so that zoom bombers can’t take over attendees’ cameras while in a meeting.

Disable ‘Group HD video’ to ensure better streaming capabilities.

Disable virtual background, so that zoom bombers can’t put up nasty images or videos as their background. 

Step 10: Emails

Disable all email settings.

Step 11: Recording

Disable all recordings.

Note: any attendee can record their computer screen using a local recording device (including their mobile phone), so we advise against sharing ‘5th Steps from the floor’.

Step 12: List your new meeting

… at https://meetings.aa.org.au/add-a-meeting-to-the-national-website or edit your existing listing at https://meetings.aa.org.au/change/