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by tails4e 1583 days ago
Physical hardware disconnect for mic and camera is badly needed. I've a square of duct tape I stick over the camera of a 2.5k laptop. Madness.
3 comments

The framework laptop has physical switches for the mic and camera, pretty nice detail. I realize you might mean Apple devices, in which case I agree!
Trustworthy software is badly needed.

Maybe you can disconnect the mic & camera, but since most modern audio chips are programmable it's possible to 'listen' to the speakers (think about it: a speaker is sort of a microphone in reverse). When a nation-state level player decides to eavesdrop there are many possibilities a hardware disconnect won't fix (some involving not tampering with your laptop at all)

A hardware disconnect fixes no problems most users have that's not solved by having a mostly secure OS with clear indication of recording status, while introducing some friction (like having to search for the magic button to turn the camera on when needed).

> Trustworthy software

When something titled that way finally shows up I still won't trust it...

I use a trimmed post-it note (keeping only the glued part). Leaves no residue.