Do you use the Camera or keep the tape over it? I am only asking about your computer and NOT your mobile device.
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Principal work laptop: camera is covered unless in use for something like videoconferencing. My other work and personal laptops don’t have cameras.
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The laptop faces a blank wall, so I leave the camera uncovered all the time. I treat it as a window with the curtains open. This would make a good poll.
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The camera on my work laptop is covered by a plastic cap that Lenovo build into the ThinkPads. The home laptops are covered. I don’t think I’ve used any of the cameras.
My phone camera has been used twice, I think in nearly 2 years.
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No tape but I just about never use it.
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Don’t keep it covered and have only used the camera a handful of times in four years. That being said, I like having the laptop camera as it takes a much better/more accurate face pic than my iPhone (which always has that weird, distorted selfie look).
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I have tape over it. I have taped over every laptop camera I have (and on ones I used to have). Right now I have a Windows laptop and two Chromebooks. All have have a tiny piece of colored plastic from those little sticky taps you use to notate documents.
My Samsung Galaxy S2 tablet has that too, and I did it on Ipads I used to own. The only camera I do not block is the one on my cell phone.
Wonder if any of Leo’s guest use the computer camera to Skype?
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don’t have tape over mine but I never use it. I try not to do anything that may give people the wrong impression in front of it
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Company-issued Surface Book 2, I’ve never once used the camera and have it taped. A bunch of my co-workers use Windows Hello so they use theirs pretty regularly though.
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I always assumed they all did (?)
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Edit: This message was originally provoked/in response to a message now deleted. I still stand by what I said, even if the context is now a little more off topic.
Well this is going to be potentially a little controversial and slightly off topic, but here goes nothing:
I think North Americans have some weird preoccupation with nudity. I assume most people wouldn’t have their laptops open in the same room they’re having sex in, so the worry about the camera catching something unexpected is about someone capturing pictures of the user in some level of undress. Okay, now that I think of a lot of men, I suppose they could be using their laptop to watch porn and then potentially end up recorded doing self-sex.
So no matter what, I’m sure we’d all like to have control over such images… but if the worst does ultimately happen, I don’t understand the [over]reaction of people. Shaming a person who ends up “exposed”, is highly uncalled for. Paying a bribe, uncalled for. Suicide is certainly uncalled for. Sh*t happens. In some manner of thinking, you should be proud that others would take that much interest in boring old you. I think if nudity and sexuality was considered just another aspect of a healthy life, maybe we could worry less about an accidental “exposure.”
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None, and I do not think I ever will…
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i never use it, i really have no need
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Even government officials and the head of the FBI has previously admitted to covering that camera with tape
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And Mark Zuckerberg - spotted with tape over his camera.
I don’t have any smart speakers.
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A reasonably level headed article:
Blackmail is the most commonly given reason, but there are also people out there who have an obsessive collector approach and get satisfaction from just collecting and publishing as many intimate clips as possible. The sites they publish to have no way of identifying that the recording was made with the subject’s knowledge or consent.
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It’s very simple barrier people can implement I guess. These were standard issue at work. Users didn’t like jumping onto video conferences and their camera firing up when they were unprepared. A shutter prevents this. Surprised all laptop manufacturers don’t make them standard. Or have a hardware switch for camera and mics.
I think what Amazon/Google do with their smart speakers is very different from malicious access of your cameras. @ohthatflo described recently how her Google Nest camera setup was accessed by a 3rd-party.
And as Leo points out, most of us have a GPS, camera, microphone, internet-connected device with us 24/7.
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Work - Camera disabled !
my chromebook has a stick on shutter but it gets used a couple of times a year tbh.
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Most of the guests use an external web cam. I know that @Leo used to send out cameras and microphones to regular guests.
I guess some guests who aren’t regular vloggers (yeuch, I hate that word!), use the internal camera.
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