FBI Director Confirms You Should Cover Laptop Cameras

Much has been made of covering our laptop cameras while they’re in use to prevent big brother from watching us. The paranoia has now been confirmed by a government official.

FBI director James Comey, speaking during a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said putting a cover over webcams is one of the “sensible things” that everyone should be doing. Comey revealed that even government offices are applying “little camera things” on all computers that have lids. By closing the lid, the camera is then blocked. He added, “You do that so that people who don’t have authority don’t look at you. I think that’s a good thing.”

Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg has already subscribed to that security advice. A magnified Instagram photo of Zuckerberg’s desk revealed a piece of tape covering the webcam on his MacBook Pro.

If you’re interested in designer webcam covers for your laptops and desktops, there are already a variety available online to choose from. However covering your webcam can be as easy as applying a band-aid. It appears plastic bandages are not just for preventing infection – they also provide privacy.

At a recent Fathom Events screening for the film Snowden, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said via satellite from Moscow, “If you use a band-aid on your laptop camera it’s not gonna mess it up because it’s got the cotton on the other side. Why this matters is that the hardware of our computers is we don’t know what they’re actually doing.”

Just remember to take the cover off when you want to Skype, take a photo, etc. At least you’ll be in control of who you choose to see and who sees you.