Video of US lawyer stuck with Zoom cat filter in court case goes viral; here's how to turn off filters

Meow! Ferguson says the video was uploaded as a reminder for an important tip for Zoom or any other virtual conferencing platform: check your camera filters. — Screengrab from YouTube

A video depicting a virtual court proceeding in Texas, United States, has gone viral after a lawyer appeared as a "cat" due to a filter, according to a report by CNET.

In the 42-second clip uploaded to the 394th District Court of Texas Live Stream YouTube channel, the lawyer told the judges that he did not know how to turn off the filter and was seeking his assistant's help.

"I'm here live. I'm not a cat," he said to the other participants in the virtual proceeding and a judge replied, "I can see that."

The video has received over 1.4 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded on Feb 9.

On Twitter, Judge Roy Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District of Texas shared that the video was uploaded as a reminder for an important tip for Zoom or any other virtual conferencing platform: check your camera filters.

IMPORTANT ZOOM TIP: If a child used your computer, before you join a virtual hearing check the Zoom Video Options to be sure filters are off. This kitten just made a formal announcement on a case in the 394th (sound on). #lawtwitter #OhNo @zoom_ushttps://t.co/I0zaj0wu6K — Judge Roy Ferguson (@JudgeFergusonTX) February 9,2021

Ferguson said everyone involved handled the incident with dignity and the "filtered lawyer" showed incredible grace.

Despite the video having a warning that recording of court proceedings are prohibited and offenders may face a US$500 (RM2,000) fine and a jail term of 180 days, Ferguson said the video was released for educational purposes.

"It is crucial that this not be used to mock the lawyers, but instead to exemplify the legal community's dedication to the cause of justice," he said in a separate tweet.

To turn off filters before a video call on Zoom, click Settings (it's the gear symbol at the top right corner under your username when accessing Zoom via a browser), select "Background & Filters" and then "Video Filters" and pick None.

If you are already in a video call, click the Camera icon at the bottom for Settings, then select "Choose Video Filter" and a window for "Background & Filters" will appear and you can click None to turn off the filter.

For the mobile app, tap More on the menu bar, then Tap "Background and Filters" and select the Filters tab to check if a filter is active.