The FBI announced Wednesday that it is seeking information on victims of so-called \u201cZoom bombings\u201d that contain videos of child sexual abuse, calling such instances a \u201cviolent crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zoom bombings,\u00a0which involve malicious individuals gaining access to and disrupting a call through the video conference service, have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic as various\u00a0activities such as classes, work meetings\u00a0and happy hours have moved online.<\/p>\n
The FBI said it had already received over 240 reports of incidents in the U.S. and worldwide of videos of child sexual exploitation videos being used to disrupt Zoom meetings. The agency asked that anyone who has experienced this type of disruption to report it through an\u00a0online form<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe FBI considers this activity to be a violent crime, as every time child sexual abuse material is viewed, the depicted child is revictimized,\u201d the FBI wrote. \u201cFurthermore, anyone who inadvertently sees child sexual abuse material depicted during a virtual event is potentially a victim as well.\u201d<\/p>\n