Widespread Zoom outages revealed some of the limits of virtual classrooms and courtrooms that are being used during the coronavirus pandemic.
Users of the popular online meeting platform were left without a means to connect on Monday morning, after which Zoom told ABC News that the company was working to restore service.
“We have received reports of users being unable to start and join Zoom Meetings and Webinars. We are currently investigating and will provide updates as we have them,” a representative for Zoom said. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.”
The outages were first reported around 9 a.m. EDT when many users were unable to join meetings. The outage was prevalent on the East Coast and in parts of Europe. Schools turned to social media to notify parents of the outage.
“Currently @zoom_us is experiencing an outage impacting the eastern United States. We are working to resolve the issue and will provide an update when restored. Parents and students will hear from their local school regarding next steps and alternative ways for virtual learning,” Atlanta Public Schools tweeted.
Currently @zoom_us is experiencing an outage impacting the eastern United States. We are working to resolve the issue and will provide an update when restored. Parents and students will hear from their local school regarding next steps and alternative ways for virtual learning.
— ATL Public Schools (@apsupdate) August 24, 2020
The Michigan Supreme Court also announced via Twitter that the Zoom outages had affected courtroom proceedings.
“ZOOM OUTAGE – Virtual Courtroom proceedings are being affected by a widespread Zoom outage in the US and beyond that is preventing courts being able to start and join meetings. Zoom is investigating; MSC will update MI courts as soon as there is more info,” the court tweeted.
ZOOM OUTAGE – Virtual Courtroom proceedings are being affected by a widespread Zoom outage in the US and beyond that is preventing courts being able to start and join meetings. Zoom is investigating; MSC will update MI courts as soon as there is more info. https://t.co/gcGZlPEk6M pic.twitter.com/tDsepjATJt
— MI Supreme Court (@MISupremeCourt) August 24, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic forced many more users onto Zoom and other video meeting platforms. Zoom has struggled with security issues throughout the pandemic as the platform became a top target of hackers.
