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Simple question.

As with anyone at this time (in 2020-2021) is concerned, online conference meetings are the norm. I did some research on the Zoom API, and was wondering if anyone has a solution on obfuscating the zoom meeting URL so that the meeting will still launch but the url is hidden or scrambled? For the audience, consider the lowest common denominators (adapt

Physical features such as:

  • elongating the URL with some useful (and not so useful) URL params to make it physically difficult to know what is important or not
  • chromeless window (is that even supported in web browsers anymore?) using native JS
  • hiding the URL via setting up the app as a PWA (however, we cannot think of a solution that overcomes the "user has to install the PWA" first)
  • hiding the address bar onload of a new window
  • taking advantage of a feature (if available) in the Zoom API SDK.

We simply want to launch zoom, in a browser, without the url being seen.

Appreciate any thoughts, approaches, and comments. thanks!

Edward J. Apostol
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    This looks like an [X/Y problem](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-xy-problem) to me. What is the underlying issue you are trying to solve, from what do you want to protect or what do you want to actually achieve by hiding an URL? – Pac0 Mar 25 '21 at 18:16
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    And welcome to Stack Overflow! Please take the [tour] and check [ask]. – Pac0 Mar 25 '21 at 18:18
  • I agree with Pac0 about an X/Y Problem — _Why_ do you want to obfuscate the link? That reason may determine what a good answer is. Why not just use a standard URL shortener? Why not just put a password on the zoom meeting? – Stephen P Mar 25 '21 at 18:20
  • the sdk, is essentially a webapp made with react, include the files and boot it into an element then set the meeting id via js, all this can be done in a window that doesn't yield the meeting id in the url, but any savvy user could find it out by looking at console network tab, so really you cant hide it like you cant hide anything web/browser based – Lawrence Cherone Mar 25 '21 at 18:23
  • Hello @StephenP using a URL shortener was considered , but URL shorteners will just expand out to the full URL path afaik. As for password that is considered into the equation as well, but for these users other forms of authentication are needed and are being implemented, so adding a password there is moot. – Edward J. Apostol Apr 12 '21 at 20:12
  • @Pac0 Obfuscating the URL is just one method of preventing the true original zoom URL from being revealed. it's a simple physical obstacle. making the URL extremely obtuse will (for the most part) deter the average user from using that URL to access the zoom meeting, avoiding the "peering over the shoulder of someone else looking at the URL" issue. – Edward J. Apostol Apr 12 '21 at 20:18
  • This is security by obfuscation, anyone able to create a for loop can then create all the url and join any meeting, following your method. You should not try to rebuild the internet, but instead adapt to what's available to you now. – NVRM Apr 12 '21 at 23:01

1 Answers1

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I'd say, use the ways Zoom provides to help keep a meeting private: passwords.

You can deactivate the option to have the password embedded in URL, while still not making it hard for people to join : have the list of participant not need a password.

This way is probably solving your issue: the URL is now not enough to join the meeting, effectively protecting a bit against somehow from getting the link somehow ("peering over the shoulder" as you mentioned in comments) and trying to join sneakily.

Here is some screenshot of Zoom meeting settings with, on the left, the option you should probably set up. (copied from this article from zdnet) Zoom meeting settings

If you need to change who has access to the meetings, then modify the list of participants, and optionally change the password (that you probably haven't given in the first place).

Pac0
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