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Brought to you by the CEO that tapes the webcam on his laptop https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/22/mark-zuckerberg-tape-webcam-microphone-faceboo

by Havoc 8mo ago

Brought to you by the CEO that tapes the webcam on his laptop https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/22/mark-zuckerberg-tape-webcam-microphone-facebook https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/22/mark-zuck...

bigyabai 8mo ago
I will be genuinely shocked if people aren't taping their smartphone cameras by 2030.
- ge96 8mo ago
  It is funny since I wonder when you're looking through say the Google Feed (swipe left on Android devices on home screen) does the camera track your eyes, what you're looking at It does seem harder to tape the phone camera since the in/out motion into your pocket I imagine would remove the tape.
  - wongarsu 8mo ago
    For the main camera there are cases with sliding covers for many phone models. Marketed for protecting the lens from scratches, but quite effective for privacy as well For the front camera that's a lot more difficult. You could probably modify one of those flexible screen protectors to black out the camera, but it'd be very inconvenient to take off. Maybe there is some niche android phone that offers physical shutters, similar to the ones on Lenovo laptop webcams
- lnrd 8mo ago
  Cameras in phones are pretty much locked up today, assuming you have an updated version of the OS from a respectable manufacturer. Apps will not be able to access the camera feed (or the microphone) without explicit consent and a visual warning. The manufacturer might access it, Apple states they don't, Google and Samsung I'm not sure. A bad actor with 0days might too.
  - jiggawatts 8mo ago
    For reference, Samsung screenshots everything shown on their televisions at regular intervals and sends these to their South Korean data centres for advertisers to use. It's called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), which any sane country should be outright banning under international espionage laws.
    - Nevermark 8mo ago
      I give no screen a network connection. Screens are for playing what I send to them. Not for running their own apps or network traffic. I would pay more for dumb screen TVs.
      - drnick1 8mo ago
        Absolutely. No monitor of any kind should be connected to the Internet.
  - bigyabai 8mo ago
    You know what's stronger than a manufacturer's promise? 2cm of double-ply electrical tape.
  - reorder9695 8mo ago
    Funny enough it's the OS and manufacturer I don't trust with my phone, with my PC I trust them a lot more as they're much more open and I can choose the OS.
- numpad0 8mo ago
  Laser engravers. Blu-ray drive laser modules are dime a dozen and are plenty powerful.
  - rationalist 8mo ago
    Can I get a pair of camera glasses that uses AI to identify other camera glasses, and controls a moveable laser to blast the cameras on the other glasses?
    - FarmerPotato 8mo ago
      I hope that was sarcasm. That's a bad idea on so many levels.
      - rationalist 8mo ago
        Yes; I don't want to accidentally blind people.
    - numpad0 8mo ago
      You'll need much better high-speed cameras than on existing glasses, and a really good beam steering mechanism coupled with much better laser than Blu-ray diodes. It'll be heavier than most VR goggles and very finicky. I don't even know which ones of fixed camera with a dual polygonal or standard 2-axis galvos or prism based PTZ with the camera doing classical lock-on and trained laser shooting from the opposite side of the camera. It's a >$50k project at benchtop static PoC level. Put aside everything unethical and unworkable about it. Probably cheaper to lobby for a think-about-kids camera ban for products weighing less than 250g or contains transparent window apparatus that may or may not be curved in diameters larger than 10mm for fire risks or something.
- tdeck 8mo ago
  It's harder to tape it when it's now a small island in the screen.
pimlottc 8mo ago
To be clear, he /puts tape over/ his webcam, that's very different from /taping/ (recording) the output of his webcam.
- boc 8mo ago
  Nominating this as the "most HN" comment of the year.
xoxxala 8mo ago
Tape?! Tape is sooo 2016. I 3d printed a flap for my webcam.

by Havoc 8mo ago

bigyabai 8mo ago

I will be genuinely shocked if people aren't taping their smartphone cameras by 2030.

ge96 8mo ago
It is funny since I wonder when you're looking through say the Google Feed (swipe left on Android devices on home screen) does the camera track your eyes, what you're looking at It does seem harder to tape the phone camera since the in/out motion into your pocket I imagine would remove the tape.
- wongarsu 8mo ago
  For the main camera there are cases with sliding covers for many phone models. Marketed for protecting the lens from scratches, but quite effective for privacy as well For the front camera that's a lot more difficult. You could probably modify one of those flexible screen protectors to black out the camera, but it'd be very inconvenient to take off. Maybe there is some niche android phone that offers physical shutters, similar to the ones on Lenovo laptop webcams
lnrd 8mo ago
Cameras in phones are pretty much locked up today, assuming you have an updated version of the OS from a respectable manufacturer. Apps will not be able to access the camera feed (or the microphone) without explicit consent and a visual warning. The manufacturer might access it, Apple states they don't, Google and Samsung I'm not sure. A bad actor with 0days might too.
- jiggawatts 8mo ago
  For reference, Samsung screenshots everything shown on their televisions at regular intervals and sends these to their South Korean data centres for advertisers to use. It's called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), which any sane country should be outright banning under international espionage laws.
  - Nevermark 8mo ago
    I give no screen a network connection. Screens are for playing what I send to them. Not for running their own apps or network traffic. I would pay more for dumb screen TVs.
    - drnick1 8mo ago
      Absolutely. No monitor of any kind should be connected to the Internet.
- bigyabai 8mo ago
  You know what's stronger than a manufacturer's promise? 2cm of double-ply electrical tape.
- reorder9695 8mo ago
  Funny enough it's the OS and manufacturer I don't trust with my phone, with my PC I trust them a lot more as they're much more open and I can choose the OS.
numpad0 8mo ago
Laser engravers. Blu-ray drive laser modules are dime a dozen and are plenty powerful.
- rationalist 8mo ago
  Can I get a pair of camera glasses that uses AI to identify other camera glasses, and controls a moveable laser to blast the cameras on the other glasses?
  - FarmerPotato 8mo ago
    I hope that was sarcasm. That's a bad idea on so many levels.
    - rationalist 8mo ago
      Yes; I don't want to accidentally blind people.
  - numpad0 8mo ago
    You'll need much better high-speed cameras than on existing glasses, and a really good beam steering mechanism coupled with much better laser than Blu-ray diodes. It'll be heavier than most VR goggles and very finicky. I don't even know which ones of fixed camera with a dual polygonal or standard 2-axis galvos or prism based PTZ with the camera doing classical lock-on and trained laser shooting from the opposite side of the camera. It's a >$50k project at benchtop static PoC level. Put aside everything unethical and unworkable about it. Probably cheaper to lobby for a think-about-kids camera ban for products weighing less than 250g or contains transparent window apparatus that may or may not be curved in diameters larger than 10mm for fire risks or something.
tdeck 8mo ago
It's harder to tape it when it's now a small island in the screen.

pimlottc 8mo ago

To be clear, he /puts tape over/ his webcam, that's very different from /taping/ (recording) the output of his webcam.

boc 8mo ago
Nominating this as the "most HN" comment of the year.

xoxxala 8mo ago

Tape?! Tape is sooo 2016. I 3d printed a flap for my webcam.