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.
I thought that was beautiful UI, since you knew that the lens was being blocked; you didn't have to trust that the software/firmware was doing the right thing.
Old Treos (and maybe Palm Pilots) had a similar switch to sound, which was great. You could turn it off and be completely sure that no software error can cause any sound whatsoever.
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.
If you use Apple hardware, then you trust them on many other levels. As for this particular feature, some hobbies or profs (like fixit) may have a good chance to disassemble it and check.
The main problem I see with this is that Mr. "The age of privacy is over" doesn't eat his own dogfood. But that's probably because his users are "Dumb fucks" (to quote him again).
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.
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.
soo, that attaches to my phone? everyone is all worried about their laptop spying on them, and they have a handheld forward facing camera pointed at their face all day?
Hey, remember when The Lower Merion Township School remotely enabled students' laptop webcams to capture students in various stages of undress at home?
So by his logic, if I don't want people to know I'm seeing a therapist therefore I shouldn't be going to a therapist? Seriously, dude needs to kindly stuff it. Sorry for the snark, but it really annoys me when I see that "if you've done nothing wrong then you have no reason to hide" meme repeated.
So, I assume Eric Schmidt has not only publicized his e-mail password, bank account details & activities, full health record and all correspondence with insurance companies, but offers 24/7 live stream from his google glass to the world.
I realized that while my iPhone 4s used to fit into my shirt pocket (which was one of Steve Jobs' original design specifications), the 5s I now have is so large that the camera peaks out from my pocket. Plus there's a camera on either side, so if somebody did hack into it, they could at least see something other than the inside of my pocket.
Simple solution: I now put the phone in my picket upside down.
It's important to point out that Mark Zuckerberg has a much stronger interest in protecting his privacy than the average person. There is a legitimate expectation that an individual, entity or the government would try to hack his webcam or microphone.
This shouldn't justify the practice for average Internet users like you and me, though there's no harm in doing it if it makes you feel safe.
This shouldn't justify the practice for average Internet users like you and me,
While it's true that most of us aren't at risk of a targeted attack from an unknown party as Zuckerberg is, we're all still under threat from huge sweeping scans of entire IP ranges, and some people are very much under threat of an attack from someone they're likely to know (eg a stalker). I don't think we should downplay the possibility of someone attacking your computer on the basis of not being a billionaire company founder; there are plenty of other reasons why people's computers are attacked.
though there's no harm in doing it if it makes you feel safe.
Putting tape over a webcam makes you safe from people snooping on your webcam. It's not theatre, it's not perception; it's actual, real safety. This is a rare example of a simple security measure that doesn't rely on how the user feels.
"This shouldn't justify the practice for average Internet users"?
Why not? The cost is basically zero and the savings might be substantial. I do that on my laptops as well and advice those around me to do the same. If that looks paranoid or stupid for somebody, quick googling for hacked webcams will provide plenty of examples that the threat is real, even for an average user.
"This ultra-light menu bar application operates inconspicuously in the background. It monitors and reports any microphone and camera activity to help you figure out if someone’s spying on you."
This is totally normal and nothing new (like years). Companies of a certain breed who have product meetings for secret products routinely do this to the cameras and mics of the computers and phones of meeting attendees.
I would feel a lot more comfortable with a cover for the webcam on my 2015 MBP, but the anti-reflective coating on the display is so famously, ludicrously sensitive and prone to delamination that I'm really reluctant to affix anything to the webcam/display. (This is less of a concern if you are Mark Zuckerberg.)
Any recommendations of a nice, soft-touch (perhaps silicone?) cover that can be left on while the machine is closed and won't damage the webcam lens or display surface?
I think when you're a person as important as Zuckerberg - it'd not be unreasonable to think you're under surveillance by other governments and so you probably can't easily guarantee that your hardware hasn't been tampered with.
The light is controller via software, it would be wiser if the light took power from the camera (e.g. if camera was powered the light would be on), but currently it doesn't do that.
My Logitech webcam has a built-in sliding mechanism to cover and uncover the camera lens. I doubt I would ever buy a webcam that does not have this. There should really be a blocking mechanism for laptop cameras as well.
Edit to add: Here's what may happen if the indicator is software controlled: "iSeeYou: Disabling the MacBook Webcam Indicator LED" https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2...