FBI Director Wants You To Cover Up Your Webcam

Would it be ironic that the man who lambasted Apple and Google’s encryption efforts and for trying to set a precedent by asking Apple to unlock an iPhone, is giving the public advice on how to protect their privacy? That’s pretty much what FBI director James Comey is doing in a recent  conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

During the conference, Comey suggested that covering up your webcam is a good way to protect your privacy. According to Comey, “There’s some sensible things you should be doing, and that’s one of them. You go into any government office and we all have the little camera things that sit on top of the screen. They all have a little lid that closes down on them. You do that so that people who don’t have authority don’t look at you. I think that’s a good thing.”

It is pretty sound advice and in the past, we have also seen Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg do the same thing with his laptop’s webcam and microphone. This is because it is possible for hackers to remotely enable your webcam and microphone, thus allowing them to spy on your without your knowledge.

In the past we have also heard how some hackers have even managed to disable the light that shows your webcam is on, making it more dangerous than ever, but what do you guys think? Do you actually bother taping up your webcam and microphone when not in use? Or do you not care?

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Privacy, Security