Zoom links will no longer be available to the public to watch Ontario court proceedings remotely.
The Ministry of the Attorney General is cracking down on a recent increase in so-called "Zoom Bombings" of court hearings - which is not a new problem.
Zoom bombing is when an uninvited person disrupts a Zoom meeting by joining without permission and potentially sharing inappropriate content, using offensive language, or causing general chaos.
As of mid-July, complainants, victims, and the media will need special approval to access Zoom court proceedings from either the Crown's office, or staff with the Victim/Witness Assistance Program.
Users will then have to identify themselves before hearing the proceedings. The general public can still observe court - they would just have to go to court in-person.
Criminal defence lawyer Patricia Brown says the Zoom bombing causes a lot of disruption in court.
"They're essentially kind of taking over the court. It's extremely distracting. It causes a lot of disruption, and it is causing us to have to pause court, and it's delaying the proceedings."
She says there have been hearings that are derailed by individuals who unmute themselves and say offensive comments.
"Before the last couple months, I've not experienced it. All of a sudden they're bombing us like almost every day. And it's horrific."
Brown says while it is good, it's an unfortunate decision.
"Even general members of the public who have an interest in a particular case and proceeding to just observe, they're going to lose that because of a group of individuals that just simply don't respect our courts, and our court process."
The Ministry of the Attorney General has also updated its "Reporting Zoom Bombings" tool, as a critical part of the problem and to support justice security investigation efforts.
By reporting the Zoom bombing to the Ministry, it would make it easier for court staff to shut down a link if it were to get hacked.
-with files from CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske