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Isn't it common knowledge by now that cameras and microphones are still "on" even if you disable it at the software level? Zuckerburg has been taping webcam/mi

by qiskit 5y ago

Isn't it common knowledge by now that cameras and microphones are still "on" even if you disable it at the software level? Zuckerburg has been taping webcam/microphones/etc for a while now. Though being the CEO of a major corporation requires you take privacy more seriously. https://www.macworld.com/article/228326/mic-drop-how-to-keep-snoops-from-listening-to-your-laptops-microphone.html https://www.macworld.com/article/228326/mic-drop-how-to-keep...

wolverine876 5y ago
> being the CEO of a major corporation requires you take privacy more seriously My privacy is as valuable to me.
schroeding 5y ago
Probably not in the general population, I would guess from my friends and family. Or they just don't care, also possible. ^^ Even those that used to tape over webcams (some started doing so after the Snowden revelations in '13) gave up on that during the pandemic, due to video call after video call and "webcam taping fatigue". Webcam shutters in non-business laptops would be great. :D Audio is another beast and way harder to solve, as there is no tape or (cheap) shutter that can really block a microphone, and physical disconnects are probably not a feature in most customers eyes, as they have no optical feedback, like webcam shutters. So they could, to most people, maybe only be a source of "why does my audio not work - ah, the stupid button" frustration. :/
KennyBlanken 5y ago
Zuckerberg is an attractive enough target that someone would go to the trouble of trying to compromise his MBP's iSight firmware (and such compromises have been proven to be possible, and pretty easy in pre-T2 macs.) The tape, however, is probably about really making completely sure he doesn't accidentally show video on a call or videoconference when he didn't mean to. Video could easily reveal even his approximate location (via shadows and such), and that could potentially lead to deriving, say, that he's working on an acquisition or talks with another company, leading to stock manipulation/speculation and so on.
threeseed 5y ago
> Isn't it common knowledge by now that cameras and microphones are still "on" No. Can you provide evidence. Because that would imply that applications are routinely bypassing OS security controls. Which at least on a Mac requires a sophisticated compromise i.e. the camera light is directly linked to the camera itself via an independent subsystem.
- anurbasic 5y ago
  Instagram uses camera as soon as you open the app, as it's a relatively slow process to fully load the camera and make it fully usable in a way Instagram devs intended to. They've admitted it themselves. Not sure about microphones.
  - threeseed 5y ago
    Wrong. On iOS there is an orange/green dot in the menu bar that indicates when the microphone or camera are in active use. The dot appears when you try and use say the Live feature but at all other times it does not appear. My point still stands that unless apps have compromised iOS/OSX it is NOT true to say that the camera/microphone are always on.

by qiskit 5y ago

wolverine876 5y ago

> being the CEO of a major corporation requires you take privacy more seriously My privacy is as valuable to me.

schroeding 5y ago

Probably not in the general population, I would guess from my friends and family. Or they just don't care, also possible. ^^ Even those that used to tape over webcams (some started doing so after the Snowden revelations in '13) gave up on that during the pandemic, due to video call after video call and "webcam taping fatigue". Webcam shutters in non-business laptops would be great. :D Audio is another beast and way harder to solve, as there is no tape or (cheap) shutter that can really block a microphone, and physical disconnects are probably not a feature in most customers eyes, as they have no optical feedback, like webcam shutters. So they could, to most people, maybe only be a source of "why does my audio not work - ah, the stupid button" frustration. :/

KennyBlanken 5y ago

Zuckerberg is an attractive enough target that someone would go to the trouble of trying to compromise his MBP's iSight firmware (and such compromises have been proven to be possible, and pretty easy in pre-T2 macs.) The tape, however, is probably about really making completely sure he doesn't accidentally show video on a call or videoconference when he didn't mean to. Video could easily reveal even his approximate location (via shadows and such), and that could potentially lead to deriving, say, that he's working on an acquisition or talks with another company, leading to stock manipulation/speculation and so on.

threeseed 5y ago

> Isn't it common knowledge by now that cameras and microphones are still "on" No. Can you provide evidence. Because that would imply that applications are routinely bypassing OS security controls. Which at least on a Mac requires a sophisticated compromise i.e. the camera light is directly linked to the camera itself via an independent subsystem.

anurbasic 5y ago
Instagram uses camera as soon as you open the app, as it's a relatively slow process to fully load the camera and make it fully usable in a way Instagram devs intended to. They've admitted it themselves. Not sure about microphones.
- threeseed 5y ago
  Wrong. On iOS there is an orange/green dot in the menu bar that indicates when the microphone or camera are in active use. The dot appears when you try and use say the Live feature but at all other times it does not appear. My point still stands that unless apps have compromised iOS/OSX it is NOT true to say that the camera/microphone are always on.