Zoom admins can now disable personal meeting IDs to prevent Zoombombing

Zoom has rolled out a feature that allows admins to disable personal meeting IDs or PMIs for scheduling or starting instant meetings.

Instant meetings and scheduled meetings will now use randomly generated meeting IDs instead of PMIs. (REUTERS)

Zoom, in the past, has introduced a number of features that are aimed at curbing the malicious practice of Zoombombing. Now, the popular video conferencing app has rolled out another feature that will ensure that Zoombombings become a thing of the past.

For those of you who are new to Zoom, Zoombombing is a phenomenon wherein hackers and trolls enter your virtual meeting room and spam it with objectionable content. The company in the past has rolled out features such as personalising meeting ID and meeting password that are aimed at limiting the access of these trolls to the virtual meetings.

Now, the company has rolled out a feature that allows admins to disable personal meeting IDs or PMIs for scheduling or starting instant meetings.

"Because PMIs are always accessible using the same ID or meeting link, anyone can join unless they're properly secured. Disabling the use of PMIs reduces that risk altogether and doesn't leave PMI security up to individual users," Zoom wrote in a blog post.

The company explained that the option to disable PMIs can be locked at the account or group level and that when PMIs are turned off, existing PMIs and personal links will become invalid and cannot be used to host a meeting.

Furthermore, the company says that instant meetings and scheduled meetings will now use randomly generated meeting IDs instead of PMIs.

Apart from this, the company announced that beginning May 9, the Basic Zoom Account users will require a password for all meetings. Additionally, waiting rooms for PMI will be turned on by default and screen sharing privileges will be limited to host only by default.