DUMBO — A virtual town hall held to discuss the state of the York Street subway station was “Zoom-bombed” with pornography by an x-rated prankster on Jan. 9.
Meeting attendees were subjected to an unfortunate eyeful near the end of the session when someone who was logged in under the name of an MTA representative shared a screen of graphic visuals.
One DUMBO resident told the Brooklyn Eagle that she disconnected from the meeting in shock when the image flashed in front of her eyes. She tried to log back in a few minutes later but the meeting had ended.
“It definitely said it was from the desk of [the MTA rep],” she said.
“It was disgraceful and disgusting,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler, who organized the Zoom town hall. However, “I would be shocked if it was coming from [the MTA representative’s] computer. It appeared that there were multiple people logged in as [the rep] on the Zoom … and then unfortunately the sharing screen function was not turned off. So, anybody on the Zoom was able to share their screen.”
Zoom-bombing is when someone interrupts a video conference with unwanted and disruptive behavior or material.
MTA spokesperson Joana Flores said the agency planned to tighten up their Zoom security in the future.
“We regret that a misguided prankster interrupted a virtual meeting designed to offer productive dialogue with Brooklyn residents about challenges to adding additional egress capacity and ADA accessibility at York Street station. We are reviewing security protocols to reduce the likelihood of a similar disruption,” Flores told the Eagle in a statement.
She added, “We appreciate the comments made by dozens of New Yorkers who treated the opportunity seriously and communicated their views.”
Update: Following the online meeting, the MTA was able to narrow down the “Zoom bomber” to one particular meeting registrant’s email. The individual is not an MTA employee, according to an agency source.
