[gnosis]

"I also cover the cameras on my laptop, desktop, and cell phone with snippets of electrical tape, since savvy hackers can gain control of them remotely."

One thing he missed is the built-in microphone on his laptop and cell phone. That can also be controlled and listened-in to remotely, and it's usually harder to completely disable (unlike a webcam).

Yes, you could epoxy it shut, but even then it could still function (though with greatly reduced fidelity).

Disabling it completely would require opening up your laptop/cellphone case and unplugging the mic: something that would probably void your waranty and could be a nightmare to reassemble, depending on your hardware skills and the laptop/cellphone model you own.