4 ms·

Maybe that's misguided and naive, but I pretty much trust my phone to protect me from bad actors taking over the camera; I'll have to trust the apps I use that

Maybe that's misguided and naive, but I pretty much trust my phone to protect me from bad actors taking over the camera; I'll have to trust the apps I use that have camera access to not spy on me, but those are few. Until relatively recently, any userspace app on my computer could freely access the camera and microphone, including background processes and malware, so that feels a lot riskier. There seems to be a permission for this that must be granted in the newer macOS versions, but I assume there might be ways around that.

pletnes 6y ago
My thoughts exactly. On my phone, I have to trust Apple. On my laptop, I have to trust everyone who wrote code I downloaded. That’s two quite different crowds.
- misterhtmlcss 6y ago
  Then you haven't seen all the malware and spyware on phone apps that have been approved by Apple and Google right? I don't trust anyone regarding my tech as far as I can throw them. I could have a System 76 machine with latest xyz hacker proof Linux distro and I'd still assume all was heard and listened to through that device. Just makes no sense to trust any mass production device.
warent 6y ago
This might be true for yourself as a technical savvy person. Camera covers are particularly important to people who are self-aware enough to realize they don't have the tech skills to keep bad actors from gaining access to their camera
- dividedbyzero 6y ago
  As a tech-savvy person, I definitely don't have the skills to make sure of that on a laptop. I might be one brew install obscure-util-from-random-HN-comment (or npm install ...) away from inadvertently giving away all my privacy.
stordoff 6y ago
I'd also add that my laptop camera is pointed at me[1], and has a decent view of most of my room, whereas the vast majority of the time my phone's camera is pointed directly at my desk or straight up at the ceiling. I'd find my laptop's camera being compromised far more intrusive. [1] Or least _was_, until I disconnected it - I needed to replace the screen anyway, and I _never_ used the camera, so I just popped the camera out at the same time
soonoutoftime 6y ago
There will always potentially be bugs. From only three months ago and featured on HN at the time: https://www.wired.com/story/hacker-apple-safari-webcam-bug/ https://www.wired.com/story/hacker-apple-safari-webcam-bug/

pletnes 6y ago

My thoughts exactly. On my phone, I have to trust Apple. On my laptop, I have to trust everyone who wrote code I downloaded. That’s two quite different crowds.

misterhtmlcss 6y ago
Then you haven't seen all the malware and spyware on phone apps that have been approved by Apple and Google right? I don't trust anyone regarding my tech as far as I can throw them. I could have a System 76 machine with latest xyz hacker proof Linux distro and I'd still assume all was heard and listened to through that device. Just makes no sense to trust any mass production device.

warent 6y ago

This might be true for yourself as a technical savvy person. Camera covers are particularly important to people who are self-aware enough to realize they don't have the tech skills to keep bad actors from gaining access to their camera

dividedbyzero 6y ago
As a tech-savvy person, I definitely don't have the skills to make sure of that on a laptop. I might be one brew install obscure-util-from-random-HN-comment (or npm install ...) away from inadvertently giving away all my privacy.

stordoff 6y ago

I'd also add that my laptop camera is pointed at me[1], and has a decent view of most of my room, whereas the vast majority of the time my phone's camera is pointed directly at my desk or straight up at the ceiling. I'd find my laptop's camera being compromised far more intrusive. [1] Or least _was_, until I disconnected it - I needed to replace the screen anyway, and I _never_ used the camera, so I just popped the camera out at the same time

soonoutoftime 6y ago

There will always potentially be bugs. From only three months ago and featured on HN at the time: https://www.wired.com/story/hacker-apple-safari-webcam-bug/ https://www.wired.com/story/hacker-apple-safari-webcam-bug/