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Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam

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Re: Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam

#61
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a stupid story.

Meanwhile "Lenin was a mushroom" is the first story on the front page.

That one's quite different; it sounds stupid but turns out to be interesting (if whimsical) and certainly unpredictable, which is a desirable quality on a site that's about intellectual curiosity.

Re: Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam

#62
post #47

Wow - this is being flagged fast. Was near the top, now 2 minutes later, is down to 54 and dropping fast - wonder who is flagging this article?

It's a dupe of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11949278, and not a strong story for HN to begin with. That's why the discussion turned generic so quickly.

Re: Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam

#63
post #5

I believe the simplest solution on Apple's side is to add a physical indicator of when the camera is on or off. It must not be software controlled, not even on system/FPGA level. Best if attached on power on/off. With a hysteresis so that even quick on/off will be noticed. Edit to add: Here's what may happen if the indicator is software controlled: "iSeeYou: Disabling the MacBook Webcam Indicator LED" https://jschola…

I had some Asus laptop which had a switch to physically close webcam: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images2500x2500/ASUS_N73S...

If you're paranoid, it could be transparent for IR or something though.

Re: Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam

#64
post #62
post #47

Wow - this is being flagged fast. Was near the top, now 2 minutes later, is down to 54 and dropping fast - wonder who is flagging this article?

It's a dupe of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11949278 , and not a strong story for HN to begin with. That's why the discussion turned generic so quickly.

(Sigh ... accidental down vote. And I wasn't even trying to click a vote arrow.)

Re: Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam

#65
post #64
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a dupe of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11949278 , and not a strong story for HN to begin with. That's why the discussion turned generic so quickly.

( Sigh ... accidental down vote. And I wasn't even trying to click a vote arrow.)

Unvote is coming.

Re: Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam

#66
post #27
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is, how do I the consumer know that its not software controlled? I have to trust Apple or whoever that its not.

Indeed. I had a ThinkPad with a physical switch to turn wifi on and off. The OS got into a weird state one day (a driver or OS bug) and I was shocked to discover that wifi was working even though the switch was in the off position. So even on a ThinkPad, these physical switches are fake, i.e., they are just software settings checked by the OS, and not a hardware override.

Which is why I was glad Lenovo made it possible for me to order my current laptop without a webcam at all. I can just plug one in if I need it.

Re: Even Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his webcam

#67

"No, government spies probably don't care what you're saying or doing in front of your computer." This logic really annoys me. The implication is that it's not so bad that the govt. can violate privacy since most people have nothing to hide. It's like saying censorship is not so bad since most people have nothing to say.

It is also sloppy thinking. Agencies like the NSA are bound by certain rules that prohibit targeting people for intelligence gathering. So the work around the law by gathering everything they can without targeting anyone in particular.
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