
Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam - caberus
http://mashable.com/2016/06/21/mark-zuckerberg-webcam-cover
======
vilda
I believe the simplest solution on Apple's side is to add a physical indicator
of when the camera is on or off. It must not be software controlled, not even
on system/FPGA level. Best if attached on power on/off. With a hysteresis so
that even quick on/off will be noticed.

Edit to add: Here's what may happen if the indicator is software controlled:
"iSeeYou: Disabling the MacBook Webcam Indicator LED"
[https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2...](https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/36569/camera.pdf)

~~~
dkersten
The problem is, how do I the consumer _know_ that its not software controlled?
I have to trust Apple or whoever that its not.

~~~
alister
Indeed. I had a ThinkPad with a physical switch to turn wifi on and off. The
OS got into a weird state one day (a driver or OS bug) and I was shocked to
discover that wifi was working even though the switch was in the off position.

So even on a ThinkPad, these physical switches are fake, i.e., they are just
software settings checked by the OS, and not a hardware override.

~~~
rhizome
Which is why I was glad Lenovo made it possible for me to order my current
laptop without a webcam at all. I can just plug one in if I need it.

------
emsy
The main problem I see with this is that Mr. "The age of privacy is over"
doesn't eat his own dogfood. But that's probably because his users are "Dumb
fucks" (to quote him again).

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anc84
Who says that it is his laptop?

The "article" does not really add anything for the HN audience. So to save you
a click, here is the image:
[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClfR1BDUsAEMBm2.jpg:orig](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClfR1BDUsAEMBm2.jpg:orig)

------
SeanDav
Wow - this is being flagged fast. Was near the top, now 2 minutes later, is
down to 54 and dropping fast - wonder who is flagging this article?

~~~
dang
It's a dupe of
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11949278](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11949278),
and not a strong story for HN to begin with. That's why the discussion turned
generic so quickly.

~~~
jccc
( _Sigh_ ... accidental down vote. And I wasn't even trying to click a vote
arrow.)

~~~
dang
Unvote is coming.

------
saynsedit
_" No, government spies probably don't care what you're saying or doing in
front of your computer."_

This logic really annoys me. The implication is that it's not so bad that the
govt. can violate privacy since most people have nothing to hide.

It's like saying censorship is not so bad since most people have nothing to
say.

~~~
manicdee
It is also sloppy thinking. Agencies like the NSA are bound by certain rules
that prohibit targeting people for intelligence gathering. So the work around
the law by gathering everything they can without targeting anyone in
particular.

------
wyclif
I'm guessing Zuckerberg can afford to spring for something more elegant:
[http://eyebloc.com/](http://eyebloc.com/)

~~~
fbnlsr
This looks even better: [https://soomz.io/](https://soomz.io/)

------
js8
As Eric Schmidt has put it: "If you have something that you don't want anyone
to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

So if you don't want people to know you put a tape over your webcam, maybe you
shouldn't do it. ;-)

~~~
ShaneOwens
"You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide" -

Most commonly attributed to Joseph Goebbels in 1933.

~~~
Bromskloss
That is not the problem with the statement, though.

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f_allwein
I realized that while my iPhone 4s used to fit into my shirt pocket (which was
one of Steve Jobs' original design specifications), the 5s I now have is so
large that the camera peaks out from my pocket. Plus there's a camera on
either side, so if somebody did hack into it, they could at least see
something other than the inside of my pocket.

Simple solution: I now put the phone in my picket upside down.

~~~
y7
With the headphone jack on the bottom, this makes more sense anyway.

------
df3
It's important to point out that Mark Zuckerberg has a much stronger interest
in protecting his privacy than the average person. There is a legitimate
expectation that an individual, entity or the government would try to hack his
webcam or microphone.

This shouldn't justify the practice for average Internet users like you and
me, though there's no harm in doing it if it makes you feel safe.

~~~
onion2k
_This shouldn 't justify the practice for average Internet users like you and
me, _

While it's true that most of us aren't at risk of a targeted attack from an
unknown party as Zuckerberg is, we're all still under threat from huge
sweeping scans of entire IP ranges, and some people are very much under threat
of an attack from someone they're likely to know (eg a stalker). I don't think
we should downplay the possibility of someone attacking your computer on the
basis of not being a billionaire company founder; there are plenty of other
reasons why people's computers are attacked.

 _though there 's no harm in doing it if it makes you feel safe._

Putting tape over a webcam makes you safe from people snooping on your webcam.
It's not theatre, it's not perception; it's actual, real safety. This is a
rare example of a simple security measure that doesn't rely on how the user
feels.

------
just_observing
I have found Micro Snitch to be very useful:

[https://obdev.at/products/microsnitch/index.html](https://obdev.at/products/microsnitch/index.html)

"This ultra-light menu bar application operates inconspicuously in the
background. It monitors and reports any microphone and camera activity to help
you figure out if someone’s spying on you."

~~~
majortennis
Is there any Microsoft equivalent. In before jokes about my privacy being long
gone on win10.

------
cryptos
We need simple hardware switches for camera and microphone!

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DanielBMarkham
I did this for a long time but stopped because I thought it looked too tin-
foil-hat-like. After seeing Zuck do it, I think I'm going back.

But why the audio _jack_. I don't own a Mac. Do I understand correctly that he
taped over a 3.5mm analog audio jack?

------
rhizome
This is totally normal and nothing new (like years). Companies of a certain
breed who have product meetings for secret products routinely do this to the
cameras and mics of the computers and phones of meeting attendees.

Blocking recording helps block leaks.

------
gabemart
I would feel a lot more comfortable with a cover for the webcam on my 2015
MBP, but the anti-reflective coating on the display is so famously,
ludicrously sensitive and prone to delamination that I'm really reluctant to
affix anything to the webcam/display. (This is less of a concern if you are
Mark Zuckerberg.)

Any recommendations of a nice, soft-touch (perhaps silicone?) cover that can
be left on while the machine is closed and won't damage the webcam lens or
display surface?

~~~
pmontra
Cut a piece of black cardboard, fold it in half and hang it over the camera.

Or this [https://ilovegreengrass.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/cover-
the-c...](https://ilovegreengrass.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/cover-the-camera/)

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wtf_is_frp
So... is it possible to turn on a webcam without the light? (referring to
macs)

I used to tape it, but stopped out of fear of looking stupid.

~~~
vilda
Apparently yes in some cases, iSeeYou: Disabling the MacBook Webcam Indicator
LED [1]

[1]
[https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2...](https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/36569/camera.pdf)

~~~
jimboj
That only works on pre 2008 Macs, I haven't seen any evidence about it being
possible on later models.

------
SeanDav
My Logitech webcam has a built-in sliding mechanism to cover and uncover the
camera lens. I doubt I would ever buy a webcam that does not have this. There
should really be a blocking mechanism for laptop cameras as well.

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davnn
Painting the lens black would keep your laptop stylish.

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laktak
> but there's also tape covering the Apple laptop's dual microphones

OK, how would that disable the microphone? Or is he just using a dummy plug?

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_pmf_
Especially.

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cleeus
corporate IT security policy?

~~~
caberus
if yes, he is definitely following rules

