diff --git a/src/state/CallViewModel/CallViewModel.ts b/src/state/CallViewModel/CallViewModel.ts
index bf5ea441..0f212101 100644
--- a/src/state/CallViewModel/CallViewModel.ts
+++ b/src/state/CallViewModel/CallViewModel.ts
@@ -724,6 +724,7 @@ export function createCallViewModel$(
               localMatrixLivekitMember;
 
             localUserMediaId = `${userId}:${membership$.value.deviceId}`;
+            const rtcBackendIdentity = membership$.value.rtcBackendIdentity;
             for (let dup = 0; dup < 1 + duplicateTiles; dup++) {
               yield {
                 keys: [
@@ -732,7 +733,7 @@ export function createCallViewModel$(
                   userId,
                   participant satisfies TaggedParticipant as TaggedParticipant, // Widen the type safely
                   connection$,
-                  membership$.value,
+                  rtcBackendIdentity,
                 ],
                 data: undefined,
               };
@@ -746,8 +747,10 @@ export function createCallViewModel$(
             membership$,
           } of matrixLivekitMembers.value) {
             const userMediaId = `${userId}:${membership$.value.deviceId}`;
+            const rtcBackendIdentity = membership$.value.rtcBackendIdentity;
             // skip local user as we added them manually before
             if (userMediaId === localUserMediaId) continue;
+
             for (let dup = 0; dup < 1 + duplicateTiles; dup++) {
               yield {
                 keys: [
@@ -756,7 +759,7 @@ export function createCallViewModel$(
                   userId,
                   participant,
                   connection$,
-                  membership$.value,
+                  rtcBackendIdentity,
                 ],
                 data: undefined,
               };
@@ -771,7 +774,7 @@ export function createCallViewModel$(
           userId,
           participant,
           connection$,
-          membership,
+          rtcBackendIdentity,
         ) => {
           const livekitRoom$ = scope.behavior(
             connection$.pipe(map((c) => c?.livekitRoom)),
@@ -789,7 +792,7 @@ export function createCallViewModel$(
             scope,
             `${userMediaId}:${dup}`,
             userId,
-            membership,
+            rtcBackendIdentity,
             participant,
             options.encryptionSystem,
             livekitRoom$,
diff --git a/src/state/MediaViewModel.ts b/src/state/MediaViewModel.ts
index 6b020057..3da69c46 100644
--- a/src/state/MediaViewModel.ts
+++ b/src/state/MediaViewModel.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ import {
   throttleTime,
   distinctUntilChanged,
 } from "rxjs";
-import { type CallMembership } from "matrix-js-sdk/lib/matrixrtc";
 
 import { alwaysShowSelf } from "../settings/settings";
 import { showConnectionStats } from "../settings/settings";
@@ -258,7 +257,7 @@ abstract class BaseMediaViewModel {
      * The Matrix user to which this media belongs.
      */
     public readonly userId: string,
-    public readonly rtcMembership: CallMembership,
+    public readonly rtcBackendIdentity: string,
     // We don't necessarily have a participant if a user connects via MatrixRTC but not (yet) through
     // livekit.
     protected readonly participant$: Observable<
@@ -404,13 +403,11 @@ abstract class BaseUserMediaViewModel extends BaseMediaViewModel {
    */
   public readonly cropVideo$: Behavior<boolean> = this._cropVideo$;
 
-  public readonly rtcBackendIdentity = this.rtcMembership.rtcBackendIdentity;
-
   public constructor(
     scope: ObservableScope,
     id: string,
     userId: string,
-    rtcMembership: CallMembership,
+    rtcBackendIdentity: string,
     participant$: Observable<LocalParticipant | RemoteParticipant | null>,
     encryptionSystem: EncryptionSystem,
     livekitRoom$: Behavior<LivekitRoom | undefined>,
@@ -424,7 +421,7 @@ abstract class BaseUserMediaViewModel extends BaseMediaViewModel {
       scope,
       id,
       userId,
-      rtcMembership,
+      rtcBackendIdentity,
       participant$,
       encryptionSystem,
       Track.Source.Microphone,
@@ -550,7 +547,7 @@ export class LocalUserMediaViewModel extends BaseUserMediaViewModel {
     scope: ObservableScope,
     id: string,
     userId: string,
-    rtcMembership: CallMembership,
+    rtcBackendIdentity: string,
     participant$: Behavior<LocalParticipant | null>,
     encryptionSystem: EncryptionSystem,
     livekitRoom$: Behavior<LivekitRoom | undefined>,
@@ -565,7 +562,7 @@ export class LocalUserMediaViewModel extends BaseUserMediaViewModel {
       scope,
       id,
       userId,
-      rtcMembership,
+      rtcBackendIdentity,
       participant$,
       encryptionSystem,
       livekitRoom$,
@@ -679,7 +676,7 @@ export class RemoteUserMediaViewModel extends BaseUserMediaViewModel {
     scope: ObservableScope,
     id: string,
     userId: string,
-    rtcMembership: CallMembership,
+    rtcBackendIdentity: string,
     participant$: Observable<RemoteParticipant | null>,
     encryptionSystem: EncryptionSystem,
     livekitRoom$: Behavior<LivekitRoom | undefined>,
@@ -694,7 +691,7 @@ export class RemoteUserMediaViewModel extends BaseUserMediaViewModel {
       scope,
       id,
       userId,
-      rtcMembership,
+      rtcBackendIdentity,
       participant$,
       encryptionSystem,
       livekitRoom$,
@@ -782,7 +779,7 @@ export class ScreenShareViewModel extends BaseMediaViewModel {
     scope: ObservableScope,
     id: string,
     userId: string,
-    rtcMembership: CallMembership,
+    rtcBackendIdentity: string,
     participant$: Observable<LocalParticipant | RemoteParticipant>,
     encryptionSystem: EncryptionSystem,
     livekitRoom$: Behavior<LivekitRoom | undefined>,
@@ -796,7 +793,7 @@ export class ScreenShareViewModel extends BaseMediaViewModel {
       scope,
       id,
       userId,
-      rtcMembership,
+      rtcBackendIdentity,
       participant$,
       encryptionSystem,
       Track.Source.ScreenShareAudio,
diff --git a/src/state/ScreenShare.ts b/src/state/ScreenShare.ts
index 67f97a93..e4f5de1f 100644
--- a/src/state/ScreenShare.ts
+++ b/src/state/ScreenShare.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import {
   type RemoteParticipant,
   type Room as LivekitRoom,
 } from "livekit-client";
-import { type CallMembership } from "matrix-js-sdk/lib/matrixrtc/CallMembership";
 
 import { type ObservableScope } from "./ObservableScope.ts";
 import { ScreenShareViewModel } from "./MediaViewModel.ts";
@@ -29,7 +28,7 @@ export class ScreenShare {
     private readonly scope: ObservableScope,
     id: string,
     userId: string,
-    rtcMember: CallMembership,
+    rtcBackendIdentity: string,
     participant: LocalParticipant | RemoteParticipant,
     encryptionSystem: EncryptionSystem,
     livekitRoom$: Behavior<LivekitRoom | undefined>,
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@ export class ScreenShare {
       this.scope,
       id,
       userId,
-      rtcMember,
+      rtcBackendIdentity,
       of(participant),
       encryptionSystem,
       livekitRoom$,
diff --git a/src/state/UserMedia.ts b/src/state/UserMedia.ts
index 6435fb17..2a125257 100644
--- a/src/state/UserMedia.ts
+++ b/src/state/UserMedia.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import {
   type Room as LivekitRoom,
 } from "livekit-client";
 import { observeParticipantEvents } from "@livekit/components-core";
-import { type CallMembership } from "matrix-js-sdk/lib/matrixrtc/CallMembership";
 
 import { type ObservableScope } from "./ObservableScope.ts";
 import {
@@ -76,7 +75,7 @@ export class UserMedia {
           this.scope,
           this.id,
           this.userId,
-          this.rtcMembership,
+          this.rtcBackendIdentity,
           this.participant.value$,
           this.encryptionSystem,
           this.livekitRoom$,
@@ -91,7 +90,7 @@ export class UserMedia {
           this.scope,
           this.id,
           this.userId,
-          this.rtcMembership,
+          this.rtcBackendIdentity,
           this.participant.value$,
           this.encryptionSystem,
           this.livekitRoom$,
@@ -143,7 +142,7 @@ export class UserMedia {
                     scope,
                     `${this.id}:${key}`,
                     this.userId,
-                    this.rtcMembership,
+                    this.rtcBackendIdentity,
                     p,
                     this.encryptionSystem,
                     this.livekitRoom$,
@@ -195,8 +194,7 @@ export class UserMedia {
     private readonly scope: ObservableScope,
     public readonly id: string,
     private readonly userId: string,
-    // TODO evaluate if this should just be the rtcBackendIdentity
-    private readonly rtcMembership: CallMembership,
+    private readonly rtcBackendIdentity: string,
     private readonly participant: TaggedParticipant,
     private readonly encryptionSystem: EncryptionSystem,
     private readonly livekitRoom$: Behavior<LivekitRoom | undefined>,
diff --git a/src/utils/test.ts b/src/utils/test.ts
index 9f9ae4b7..c41743a8 100644
--- a/src/utils/test.ts
+++ b/src/utils/test.ts
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ export function createLocalMedia(
     testScope(),
     "local",
     member.userId,
-    rtcMember,
+    rtcMember.rtcBackendIdentity,
     constant(localParticipant),
     {
       kind: E2eeType.PER_PARTICIPANT,
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ export function createRemoteMedia(
     testScope(),
     "remote",
     member.userId,
-    rtcMember,
+    rtcMember.rtcBackendIdentity,
     constant(participant),
     {
       kind: E2eeType.PER_PARTICIPANT,