Zoom: Blocking Unwanted Bots, AI Note Takers, and Transcription Services in Zoom Meetings

Overview

Third-party AI assistants, meeting transcription services, and note-taking bots are increasingly being used to join online meetings on behalf of participants. While some of these tools can improve productivity, they may also introduce privacy, security, compliance, and intellectual property concerns.

This article explains how Zoom meeting hosts can identify, prevent, and manage unauthorized bots, transcription services, and AI assistants in Zoom meetings.

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Why This Matters

Unauthorized meeting assistants may:

  • Record or transcribe sensitive discussions without approval
  • Store institutional information in external systems
  • Share meeting content with third-party AI providers
  • Create FERPA, HIPAA, research, or contractual compliance concerns
  • Capture confidential or proprietary information
  • Circumvent institutional records management requirements

Examples include:

  • AI note-taking assistants
  • Automated transcription bots
  • Meeting summarization services
  • Virtual meeting assistants
  • Third-party recording agents

Common examples seen across organizations include services such as:

  • Otter.ai
  • Fireflies.ai
  • Fathom
  • Avoma
  • Read.ai
  • Tl;dv
  • Grain
  • Sembly
  • Similar meeting-assistant platforms

How These Services Typically Join Meetings

Most services join meetings as a participant and may appear as:

  • "Otter Assistant"
  • "Meeting Notetaker"
  • "AI Assistant"
  • "Fireflies Notetaker"
  • "Read.ai"
  • An unfamiliar participant account

These accounts often:

  • Join automatically
  • Do not enable a camera
  • Remain muted
  • Display a service or company logo
  • Request meeting access on behalf of a user

Recommended Controls

1. Require Authentication for Meeting Participants

The first way is to require authentication for your meetings. These bots will enter your meeting as a guest, so requiring authentication will prevent the bot from entering from the very beginning.  You can make it so that the meeting is only available to NEOMED account holders or any Zoom account holder. An additional level of customization is to add authentication exceptions for your meetings.

Recommended Setting

Zoom Web Portal → Settings → Security

Enable:

  • Require authentication to join meetings
  • Sign in to Zoom before joining

Benefits:

  • Limits access to authenticated users
  • Provides participant accountability
  • Makes unauthorized bot access more difficult

2. Use Waiting Rooms

The second way is to use the waiting room and do not allow entry of people you do not recognize or expect. This can be difficult if you are holding a truly public event or are hosting a large meeting. However, most bots will give themselves away by including the name of the software or company in the name they use to enter the meeting. For instance, Hokie AI Vendor (Guest).

Recommended Setting

Enable: Waiting Room

Before admitting participants:

  • Verify unfamiliar names
  • Confirm attendance with the inviter/host.
  • Ask participants to rename themselves if necessary
  • Reject unknown bot accounts

3. Lock Meetings After Attendance Is Confirmed

After expected participants have joined:

  1. Click Host Tools, then click Lock Meeting. Repeat to unlock the meeting.

picture of above instructions

Benefits:

  • Prevents additional attendees from joining
  • Blocks late-entry bots and note-takers

4. Review Participant Lists Regularly

Hosts and co-hosts should monitor:

  • Participant names
  • Joining activity
  • Unexpected attendees

Investigate:

  • Unknown accounts
  • Generic participant names
  • Services identifying themselves as assistants or note takers

Remove participants when appropriate.

If an Unknown Bot Appears During a Meeting

Immediate Actions

  1. Identify the participant.
  2. Ask who invited the service.
  3. Determine whether the service is approved.
  4. Remove the participant if authorization cannot be verified (see below)
  5. Lock the meeting (see above section)
  6. Suspend participant activity, if appropriate (see below)
  7. Document the event if sensitive information was discussed.

To Remove a Participant

If a bot does get past the waiting room, the host or cohosts can remove them at any time by removing them from the participants list.

  1. Open Participants
  2. Locate the attendee
  3. Select More
  4. Choose Remove

picture of above instructions

Suspend Participant Activities

This will suspend all participants' screen sharing, video, audio, and breakout rooms and will lock the meeting. 

  • Click Host Tools, then Suspend Participant Activities.

picture of above instructions

Best Practices for Sensitive Meetings

For meetings involving confidential information:

  • Enable authentication requirements
  • Use Waiting Rooms
  • Verify all attendees
  • Lock meetings after participants join
  • Restrict recording permissions
  • Disable AI summaries when appropriate
  • Remove unauthorized assistants immediately
  • Share meeting materials through approved institutional systems only

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a participant invite an AI note taker without notifying the host?

Technically, some services can join if meeting settings allow it. Participants should obtain approval before introducing third-party services into university meetings.

How can I tell if a participant is a bot?

Indicators include:

  • Service-related names
  • Duplicate account with unusual email or name
  • No camera usage
  • No interaction during the meeting
  • Automatic joining behavior
  • References to note taking, transcription, or summarization

Are Zoom's built-in AI features the same as third-party bots?

No. Zoom AI Companion operates within the Zoom platform, while many note-taking services send meeting data to external providers and may have different privacy, retention, and security practices.

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