Zoombombed?

Antelope County Commissioners had been at work for more than 65 minutes, May 2, when an individual performing a lewd act appeared on the Zoom call.

The county board meets twice a month, in person, at the Antelope County Courthouse in Neligh. The meeting is also available via Zoom for individuals who chose to watch and/or participate via the online conferencing platform.

While then-Gov. Pete Ricketts issued an executive order to temporarily waive certain requirements of the Nebraska Open Meeting Act in 2020, allowing virtual public meetings, Section 84-1411(2) “allows certain public bodies to meet by virtual conferencing,” after the enactment of LB83, introducted by former Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk.

Per state statute, “Virtual conferencing is defined as conducting or participating in a meeting electronically or telephonically with interaction among the participants subject to subsection (20) of section 84-1412.”

A link to the Zoom meeting appears on the meeting agenda, which is posted online on the county’s website.

Zoombombing, the unwanted and disruptive intrusion of a video conference call, is a criminal offense, according to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Since commissioner meetings are posted public meetings, the CFAA would not be in effect.

During the commissioners’ meeting on May 9, discussion took place regarding the continuation of Zoom calls during meetings.

Commissioners voted to not continue to use the conferencing software for meetings.