There aren’t many places as controlled as courtrooms. Judges can quickly dole out punishment to those who violate the rules of decorum, and deputies stand ready to expel anyone who breaks the peace.
On Tuesday, that peace was shattered in nearly a dozen San Diego County Superior courtrooms after someone logged into the court’s virtual appearance portal and began posting explicit pornography and images of hate.
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WATCH HERESan Diego County uses Microsoft Teams for virtual appearances. It allows attorneys, defendants and plaintiffs to participate in court hearings. Members of the public are also free to join and observe, just as they would if they visited a courthouse in person.
People who join can see several courtroom cameras. If you’re physically inside a courtroom, a large TV monitor or overhead projector displays MS Teams attendees.
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A court spokesperson told NBC 7 Investigates that someone, or several people, logged in Tuesday and began posting obscene material into the chat window and played pornography as a background effect on their camera.
The spokesperson said it happened in 10 courtrooms across five courthouses: downtown San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Vista and traffic court in Kearny Mesa. IT disabled the background effect feature as soon as the court became aware, the official said. In some courtrooms, all remote appearances were blocked for a few hours.
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Despite the disruptions, the court spokesperson said no hearings needed to be postponed to another day.
Going forward, the court changed its settings on MS Teams. Visitors won’t be allowed to use their camera without approval from a court clerk.
The option to watch or show up for court virtually is relatively new. The San Diego County Superior Court only began using MS Teams in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Every courtroom is equipped with the ability to stream online, though not all of them do.
Just last month, the court’s chief justice announced that virtual hearings would continue on MS Teams through 2027.
Other courtrooms have been targeted by trolls
Over the past several years, courthouses across the country have reported similar events of so-called “video bombing.”
NBC 7 Investigates found media coverage online for nearly a dozen incidents, including this year in Charlotte, North Carolina; Dover, Delaware; and Ontario, Canada.
Similar incidents have been happening as early as 2020, when government agencies and corporations alike began widespread use of remote meeting technology.
