A virtual meeting held by the state election commission of Indiana on Friday via the video-calling app Zoom was unexpectedly disrupted with pornographic footage of a man pleasuring himself.
“Holy moly. Indiana Election Commission meeting had just started on Zoom when someone switched video to them masturbating. My eyes! My eyes!” local reporter Mary Beth Schneider tweeted.
Schneider went on to say the interruption was shocking but brief, and it appeared to be of a man masturbating in real time.
“That was sufficiently disturbing,” commission chair Paul Okeson reportedly said in response to the video.
“Hopefully that’s not a harbinger,” vice-chairman Anthony Long added.
The Indiana Election Commission’s virtual meeting was just “Zoom-bombed” by someone showing explicit pornography. The video was removed relatively quickly.Commission Vice Chair Anthony Long: “I hope that isn’t a harbinger.”
Some social media users expressed shock upon hearing the news, while others took a much lighter view of the bizarre situation.
“Indiana Erection Commission, you say?” one Twitter user joked.
omg
So apparently the Indiana Election Commission meeting was a bit spicy today. ?? https://t.co/PYCX5z5MmZ
Zoom has increasingly been used by schools and businesses as Covid-19 lockdown measures have kept people at home, but the security of the software has come under serious scrutiny.
Interrupting what are supposed to be private meetings with trolling messages or pornographic videos has become so common, it’s now popularly referred to as ‘Zoom bombing,’ and the company’s CEO has addressed security concerns by saying the company was unprepared for the level of traffic brought on by the Covid-19 lockdowns.
The FBI issued a warning about the service last month, highlighting incidents where people have been able to display hate symbols during video conferences they “hijack.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has waved off the potential for lawmakers to use the service, calling the company a “Chinese entity,” despite it being a US business based in California.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!