365NEWSX.COM::USA::Trolls crash Zoom Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: â€˜Alcohol is soooo goodâ€™

Apr 02, 2020 3 mins, 11 secs

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By Hannah Sparks

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April 2, 2020 | 11:55am

Many Americans are turning to wine, beer and cocktails to cope during the coronavirus lockdown. But, for some, alcohol isn’t an option.

Earlier this week, Nielsen data revealed that sales of alcoholic beverages rose 55% during one week in March, as stay-at-home orders across the country went into effect.

Meanwhile, sober adults say they are being “triggered” by memes about “quarantinis” and screenshots of virtual happy hours between friends â€” so they’re relying on online support groups for alcoholics to get them through it.

Unfortunately, as Business Insider recently reported, digital cynics are using Zoom, a videoconferencing software, to crash Alcoholics Anonymous and other group support meetings being conducted online during the COVID-19 outbreak.

At a recent AA meeting supported by the Inter-group Association of A.A. of New York, members were left in dismay and heartbreak as an unseen outsider intruded on the gathering, and shouted discriminatory epithets and references to drinking.

“Alcohol is soooo good,” the voice said, according to a meeting participant who spoke to Business Insider.

Group leaders quickly silenced the troll and booted them from the meeting. Unfortunately, the experience had shaken many of the members, as more than half took their leave before the meeting got back on track.

Earlier this week, PCMag reported on a now-defunct YouTube channel dedicated to videos showing Zoom trolling. One of them showed some virtual trespassers wielding bottles of whiskey during an online AA meeting.

“Zoom-bombing” has become the troll du jour for internet interlopers. Conference crashers will peruse the internet for publicly listed Zoom meeting IDs, then drop-in uninvited to stir the group. Message board sites such as 4chan and Discord are known to host forums for this very purpose.

On Monday, the FBI in Boston even issued a warning about Zoom-bombing following the interruption of two virtual classrooms by bad actors.

This wasn’t the New York AA group’s first brush with Zoom trolls. In fact, the regional organization had already published guidelines for members on how to configure their security settings in an effort to deter intruders.

“It’s a very trusting group,” the member told Business Insider. “I don’t know what the hacker can see, but not everybody on the screen was changing their real names. If they have me recorded, that’s my real name and picture on the screen.”

The New York Inter-group Association did not immediateIy respond to Business Insider’s request for comment. However, a spokesperson for Zoom said they were “deeply upset” to learn of these incidents.

“For those hosting large, public group meetings, we strongly encourage hosts to review their settings and confirm that only the host can share their screen,” said a spokesperson for Zoom. “For those hosting private meetings, password protections are on by default and we recommend that users keep those protections on to prevent uninvited users from joining.”

Anonymous support groups are vital to the addiction community, but when their security becomes compromised, they may feel impelled to put meetings on hold â€” or, as five-years sober Ben Riker, 39, told The Post: “Use the phone, use the phone, use the phone!”

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Trolls crash Zoom Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: â€˜Alcohol is soooo goodâ€™

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