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Worse actually, there is no physical indicator LED on the latest (M1) laptops, it's an indicator icon in the menu bar. In the "better" category, Apple claims w

by Phlarp 4y ago

Worse actually, there is no physical indicator LED on the latest (M1) laptops, it's an indicator icon in the menu bar. In the "better" category, Apple claims webcam access is controlled by the secure enclave processor, which is more than most manufacturers do.

gardaani 4y ago
There is a physical indicator LED for the camera. The LED indicator can't be seen if the camera isn't in use. Try launching Photo Booth and you'll see the LED indicator. But, the latest Macs don't have a LED for the mic, which is a disappointment. Good old MacBooks had a LED indicator for the mic. EDIT: sorry, my memory failed me. The old MacBooks didn't have a LED for the mic. On white plastic MacBooks (2006), there's two black dots around the camera. The dot on the right side is a LED for the camera. The dot on the left side is the mic, not the LED indicator for it. Thanks for correcting me!
- duskwuff 4y ago
  > Good old MacBooks had a LED indicator for the mic. No, this is not true. Apple never included a physical indicator for microphone use on any computer.
- Cockbrand 4y ago
  > Good old MacBooks had a LED indicator for the mic Are you sure about that? I've had the plastic MacBook and a few MacBook Pros, and none of them had a hardware visual indicator for the mic.
- threeseed 4y ago
  Would add that the microphone is hardware disconnected when lid is closed: https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/security/secbbd20b00b/1/web/1 https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/security/secbbd20b00b/... So you should have some guarantee that no one is spying when laptop is sleeping at least.
  - fsflover 4y ago
    This is not actually "hardware disconnected", more like "firmware disconnected". Consider Purism Librem 14 if you actually want a hardware kill switch.
duskwuff 4y ago
> Worse actually, there is no physical indicator LED on the latest (M1) laptops, it's an indicator icon in the menu bar. This isn't true. I just tested it. There is definitely a physical LED next to the camera, within the "notch" area of the display.
- mbalyuzi 4y ago
  Same with the M2 Air. Physical indicator in the notch.
deleted 4y ago
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by Phlarp 4y ago

gardaani 4y ago

There is a physical indicator LED for the camera. The LED indicator can't be seen if the camera isn't in use. Try launching Photo Booth and you'll see the LED indicator. But, the latest Macs don't have a LED for the mic, which is a disappointment. Good old MacBooks had a LED indicator for the mic. EDIT: sorry, my memory failed me. The old MacBooks didn't have a LED for the mic. On white plastic MacBooks (2006), there's two black dots around the camera. The dot on the right side is a LED for the camera. The dot on the left side is the mic, not the LED indicator for it. Thanks for correcting me!

duskwuff 4y ago
> Good old MacBooks had a LED indicator for the mic. No, this is not true. Apple never included a physical indicator for microphone use on any computer.
Cockbrand 4y ago
> Good old MacBooks had a LED indicator for the mic Are you sure about that? I've had the plastic MacBook and a few MacBook Pros, and none of them had a hardware visual indicator for the mic.
threeseed 4y ago
Would add that the microphone is hardware disconnected when lid is closed: https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/security/secbbd20b00b/1/web/1 https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/security/secbbd20b00b/... So you should have some guarantee that no one is spying when laptop is sleeping at least.
- fsflover 4y ago
  This is not actually "hardware disconnected", more like "firmware disconnected". Consider Purism Librem 14 if you actually want a hardware kill switch.

duskwuff 4y ago

> Worse actually, there is no physical indicator LED on the latest (M1) laptops, it's an indicator icon in the menu bar. This isn't true. I just tested it. There is definitely a physical LED next to the camera, within the "notch" area of the display.

mbalyuzi 4y ago
Same with the M2 Air. Physical indicator in the notch.

deleted 4y ago

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