Bengaluru High Court Halts Videoconferencing and Livestreaming Services Due to Explicit Content Inserted By Miscreants
Bengaluru, 6th December 2023: In a significant development, the Karnataka High Court suspended videoconferencing and livestreaming services at its Bengaluru, Dharwad, and Kalaburagi benches on Tuesday, citing unprecedented cybersecurity issues. The Zoom platform, utilized by the court for videoconferencing, fell victim to miscreants who reportedly infiltrated the system, playing explicit content during live proceedings on both Monday and Tuesday.
Chief Justice Prasanna Varale addressed the matter, expressing concern over the misuse of technology and the disruptive incidents. “We are not permitting video-conferencing and livestreaming facilities. Unfortunately, some mischief is being played. There may be some mischief players. Technology is being misused,” Chief Justice Varale stated.
The livestreaming of court proceedings on YouTube, a practice initiated on May 31, 2021, and governed by specific rules, has now been halted in the wake of these cybersecurity breaches.
Chief Justice Varale emphasized that while this incident is unfortunate and unprecedented, the Karnataka High Court has consistently supported the use of technology for enhanced public services and advocate support. He urged advocates not to trouble the court’s computer section officials if access to video-conferencing facilities is denied.
A formal complaint was filed on Monday evening, leading to the registration of a case under the IT Act for the transmission of explicit material. The incident is indicative of a broader trend of cyberattacks on video conference calls, commonly known as “Zoombombing,” which gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As platforms like Zoom experienced a surge in usage during lockdowns, hackers disrupted meetings by making threats or displaying inappropriate content, highlighting the need for heightened cybersecurity measures.
