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I was very skeptical of the camera covers, but then through conversations with some of my co-workers, I realized that they weren't being used because people wer
by gtm1260 6y ago
I was very skeptical of the camera covers, but then through conversations with some of my co-workers, I realized that they weren't being used because people were worried about spies secretly turning on the camera. It was 90% of the time just peace of mind that their camera was actually off, instead of having to find the sometimes hard to see options in video chat programs etc.
- slipheen 6y agoThat's exactly it for me - I'm in a lot of remote meetings, and wouldn't want to be accidentality presenting without expecting to.
- ashtonkem 6y agoWith regard to privacy, the microphone is 100x more sensitive than the camera most of the time, and it’s much harder to secure.
- iso1631 6y agoIt certainly is, I have the option to 1) Block the camera and hope the microphone is on mute 2) Hope the camera isn't on and home the microphone isn't on 3) Not have the mac at all Clearly 1 is better than 2.
- hanniabu 6y agoMic-Lock: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KRC3G7R/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KRC3G7R/
- dividedbyzero 6y agoThis is just for external headsets.
- hanniabu 6y agoNo it's not. It's meant for any port, but this model has it's own port so you don't need to keep plugging and unplugging it. You can leave it in and daisy chain by plugging your headset or speaker into it rather than directly.
- dividedbyzero 6y agoInternal microphones are not attached by such a port.
- pkage 6y agoThat's incredibly overpriced at $26.99 for what is essentially just a dummy input...
- iso947 6y agoTo be fair it’s a 5 pack It seems to be something with a switch that disconnects one of the rings of a 4 pin. Easy enough, but $5 doesn’t seem awful. Of course it doesn’t disconnect built in microphones, and with modern Apple phones getting rid of 3.5mm jacks it’s value is less.
- ashtonkem 6y agoAt $5, most of the cost is almost certainly logistical.
- hanniabu 6y agoFrom my understanding it's not just a dummy input and somehow adds noise because some computers won't pick up the input unless there's a signal.
- malandrew 6y agoIt's a shame they don't have a USB-C one that looks like a compact USB-C YubiKey.
- rcfox 6y agoSupport for this kind of thing is entirely voluntary. You can short the mic pin to ground (or connect an external mic), and it will disable the onboard mic by default because that's what is expected, but there's nothing physically stopping the audio controller from reading from the onboard mic anyway.
- dathinab 6y agoThat is what I like with the Lenovo webcams in T480s and probably later versions. They have a small slider with the camera protection "glass" build in which can cover the camera and will "show" a red dot if it's covered.
- miguelmota 6y agoThis should really be the standard for laptop webcams. The T480 webcam cover is flush with the bezel and you barely even notice it because it's so subtle. One of my favorite features.
- Traster 6y agoYeah, I have the X1 Carbon and there is nothing that is ever going to make me as comfortable as a little piece of plastic that sldies in front of the lens of the camera.
- pfranz 6y agoOld Apple iSight cameras (the stand alone tube shaped cameras) twisted an aperture closed to block the lens. It was also how you turned it off and on.
- robin_reala 6y agoShould still work on modern macs if you chain together a FireWire 400 -> 800 / FW 800 -> ThunderBolt 2 / TB2 -> TB3 set of adaptors. Off to eBay…
- jhallenworld 6y ago
- runarberg 6y agoI quite often accidentally turn on the camera without intending (usually because an app automatically turns it on) to. Having a cover prevents me from being embarrassed by an unexpected exposure.
- happytoexplain 6y agoExactly this. I use one for these reasons, in descending order of practical concern: 1. I don't want to broadcast myself during a meeting when I'm not prepared, or perhaps leave a meeting open by accident. 2. If a bad actor does access my camera, I won't necessarily notice the indicator light, especially if I'm not actively using the computer at that moment. 3. I don't trust the indicator light to be permanently unhackable.
- jachee 6y agoAs long as you maintain physical possession of your machine, point 3 is moot, at least on Macs.
- ldoughty 6y agoSee the several articles linked in this page about apple webcams/mics being turned on by hackers.... Apple is good, but they are not perfect
- jilles 6y agoThey are not, but these articles are for < 2008 Macs. On "newer" Macbooks it done by hardware.
- acdha 6y agoYou’re posting this late enough to have had time to see that those are all about hardware which is a decade old. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23796606 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23796606
- not_really 6y agoRight, so as time progresses news comes out about said hardware being hacked. I think you've validated his point. 5 years from now we will see how today's cameras have been hacked.
- 6y ago
- magicalhippo 6y agoI have the same with my headset. It has a physical mute button for the microphone, which I engage as soon as I'm done talking in Teams or similar. It's a dumb switch, so instant and with no annoying woman telling me I muted. Being a dumb switch it's also tactile, so I can tell by feel if I'm muted or not. That way I don't have to worry about my annoying my colleagues by my mechanical keyboard, occasional excess gas events or similar.
- bckygldstn 6y agoThe UI pattern of a button with a crossed-out camera/mic always makes me think twice: is it a status indication that my camera is off, or is the button's action to turn off my camera (meaning my camera is on)? I cover my camera to avoid that 5s mental dance at the start of every meeting.
- cheeze 6y agoFor me it's that I'm sitting here shirtless while I'm working, and I'm kinda fat
- elihu 6y agoOn my work laptop, my employer could conceivably turn the camera on to monitor me in some way. I don't think they would, but still I put tape over the camera because I don't want them to be able to do that.
- snapit 6y agoThe Huawei Mate book X Pro has a key on the keyboard that when pressed flicks up a camera. When it is down it shows a black hole inside the keyboard. When it is up it shows a great angle directly up your nose and typing when in a video call shows your hands really clearly. But it is still an interesting way to do it.
- jankiehodgpodge 6y agoA privacy feature on a Huawei laptop...
- ccktlmazeltov 6y agoYeah, I started using to LARP, but it's actually huge for peace of mind. When I'm in meetings and I want to make sure that nobody can see make butt naked, I place the webcam cover. The person caught peeing on a zoom VC[1] would never have happened with a webcam cover. Also, I am really worried about microphones. I have 2 google homes, 6 siris (iPhones and apple watch), a portal, a number of macbook pros and airs, a PS4, ... any of these devices could be listening to me at all time :/ [1]: https://geekologie.com/2020/03/poor-jennifer-woman-takes-laptop-into-ba.php https://geekologie.com/2020/03/poor-jennifer-woman-takes-lap...
- saagarjha 6y agoUntil they take their laptop anyways and forget to slide the cover?
- krzyk 6y agoAnd I would really like something similar for my microphone - a physical switch. For camera I can glue one myself, but for mic it is not possible :(
- jlnthws 6y agoI've always used a sticker (black dot-shaped) or a piece of post-it note. Post-it is really convenient but it's ugly. I still think the best solution would be to have no builtin camera or microphone. Just have something like the iSight that you manually and thus willingly connect to your thunderbolt. Works with your external monitor as well and you can orient it the way you like. It would also have better overall image and sound quality (low light, more shallow depth of field, etc.). And on the plus side for Apple and its shareholders, it's another $499 essential.
- gpmcadam 6y agoThis is never the best solution for notebooks though, is it?
- mFixman 6y agoI never really understood the point of camera covers. If my computer is compromised to the point where an attacker can access my camera and microphone, information from my camera and microphone are the least of my problems.
- michaelt 6y agoNow I'm old enough that there's money in the bank accounts I access online, and I can afford a home big enough that the room I use my computer in isn't the room I get dressed in and have sex in, absolutely. But if I was giving a computer to a 12 year old or 16 year old - what else is the hacker going to take? Their online gaming account?
- theferalrobot 6y agoPer OPs comment - it isn’t about a compromised system for me at all at least. If I’m in a video conference at 6am in my pjs I’m just a button click away from everybody seeing me. Camera cover let’s me know I can’t accidentally do this (and it has saved me on multiple occasions).
- cmg 6y agoIt's a multi-stage concern. Sure, someone could grab all my files, email, etc. That would be damaging. But if I'm having a sensitive conversation in my home/office with someone and the camera and/or microphone come on, that could be damaging as well. FWIW, I use a camera cover and Oversight[0] to tell me when an application uses the camera or microphone. It doesn't prevent it from happening, but at least I'm aware if something is going on. The weirdest thing I've seen yet is that the iOS Simulator uses the microphone. [0] https://www.objective-see.com/products/oversight.html https://www.objective-see.com/products/oversight.html