UF has a lead in unraveling who is accused of being behind a Zoom bombed Student Government meeting more than a week ago.
Local and federal authorities in Gainesville identified a 13-year-old girl in Memphis, Tennessee as one of the hackers behind an intentional interruption of the SG meeting March 31 that was over Zoom, according to an email from UF released Friday afternoon.
The Senate meeting was interrupted by masked hackers drawing swastikas, displaying pornographic images and writing racial slurs. The hackers also made death threats to Kyle Garner, the Senate president.
The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed, according to the email.
The University of Florida Police Department got help from the FBI in Gainesville that followed a lead they had in the case to a girl in Tennessee, the email read. The girl said it was supposed to be a joke.
“This is absolutely not a joke,” UF Police Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick said. “We take these matters very seriously, and we will pursue any and all leads to help ensure anyone involved in incidents like this is held accountable.”
UF President Kent Fuchs responded to this event by tweeting that he condemned these acts and that he called UF Information Technology and UFPD to investigate.
Contact Stephany Matat at smatat@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @StephanyMatat.
