How to Disable Your Webcam if you're paranoid

[Sherri is a Cat]

I don't think this should be in the hardware section...

I was just browsing around KGll's website. There are a lot of good articles by the way, even for a Linux student still in kindergarten.

Looking through the index, my attention was immediately caught by this one.

Let's Disable Your Webcam

I see this question, about how to disable your webcam, quite a lot. There are some ingenious solutions, from sliders you can stick to your laptop to just putting a piece of electrical tape over it. Some vendors have gotten in on it and include a sliding cover that you can use when the webcam is not in use.

If you’re that paranoid, you might want to look for a laptop (generally) that doesn’t have a webcam – but that can be hard to find these days. In some cases, they’ll have a red light that comes on when the webcam is in use. Of course, the truly paranoid don’t trust that. And the really, truly paranoid people know their coffee pot is spying on them!

When you're enslaved by the Giant, I wouldn't say any of this is paranoia.

 

[MikeRocor]

I'm kind of "old school" that way but I can never seem to find my electrical tape when I want it. However, a post-it note serves the purpose and if you write something on it, like a reminder or someone's phone number, it doesn't even look all that much like you're paranoid. I guess I should feel sheepish that blacklisting the relevant kernel module never occurred to me.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

I have a webcam and microphone. They're not integrated and they don't stay connected. When I'm not using them they stay on the other end of house locked up in lead box.

 

[MikeRocor]

In as much as I use my laptop as a desktop (lid closed, external monitor, keyboard, mouse), my go-to camera/mic is a very nice logitech USB webcam (five bucks at a second-hand store, thank you very much) that's in a box (...somewhere) except when I'm using it (which, lately, is almost never). The built in microphone is probably spying on me, recording the sound of me snoring or eating potato chips, or the BDE barking at whatever it is she barks at.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

For a short period of time I had the same set up. If it lasted much longer I planned on opening up that laptop and taking those things out!

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

And about Logitec...

Wireless keyboards and mice never seemed to last more than 6 months, at best. Even what should have been higher quality ones didn't last.

Around 2007 I bought a Logitech Wave ergonomic keyboard and mouse set up. I spilled an entire cup of coffee on the keyboard in 2014. I'm convinced that I would still have it if not for the coffee. I found another one exactly like it, used. It still works. I used it so much that the nubby thingies on "F" and "J" wore off. It threw off my typing. I found a third one last year just like it. I put the other one away so I can use it when I take this one apart to clean it.

I won't bother with any other brand unless god forbid Logitech goes out business

I still have the original mouse.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

@KGIII

Look up

 

[MikeRocor]

Mostly I just use the cheaper logitech wireless keyboard and mouse sets ($21 at Walmart) but recently I found a logitech gaming keyboard G413 SE on clearance for $7 - not wireless and no associated mouse, so it uses up an extra USB port, and it's god-awful noisy, but it has full-stroke mechanical keys. And, OMG, ... it lights up, too! But only in white.

Then I almost immediately spilled water on it. It still works - has great drainage.

 

[KGIII]

@KGIII

Look up

Am I looking for anything in particular?

Then I almost immediately spilled water on it. It still works - has great drainage.

Mechanical keyboards are more resilient when it comes to spills, which is nice.

I happen to like the clickity clackity noises made by a good mechanical keyboard. I usually don't buy expensive keyboards because they always end up drinking too much. I can usually find something for less than $50 - sometimes quite a bit less than that.

I do like lighted keyboards. I do most of my computing in my study which has heavy curtains that are often closed. While I touch type, I do sometimes need to look down to quickly orient my fingers.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

Am I looking for anything in particular?



Mechanical keyboards are more resilient when it comes to spills, which is nice.

I happen to like the clickity clackity noises made by a good mechanical keyboard. I usually don't buy expensive keyboards because they always end up drinking too much. I can usually find something for less than $50 - sometimes quite a bit less than that.

I do like lighted keyboards. I do most of my computing in my study which has heavy curtains that are often closed. While I touch type, I do sometimes need to look down to quickly orient my fingers.

Oh...

Mike Rocor the rest of this will make sense if you saw the first post. I quoted one of your articles about how to disable a web cam. The most relevant parts are in bright red!

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

Mechanical keyboards are more resilient when it comes to spills, which is nice.

I assume "mechanical" means wired? USB or those circle thingies with all the other plugs?

I spilled coffee on that keyboard more than once, but not an entire 16 oz thermos. The silicone under the keys was enough to save it if I turned the keyboard over right away. 16 ounces flooded the entire thing. Turning it over was no use.

I happen to like the clickity clackity noises

I do to! Mine are not overly loud

I usually don't buy expensive keyboards because they always end up drinking too much.

Battery? Batteries last forever in both my mouse and keyboard. At least a year, if not more.

I can usually find something for less than $50 - sometimes quite a bit less than that.

I got my model a long time ago. I got a good price on it. It's a lot more expensive now. When I replaced the keyboard was around $50 or $60. I doubt I would pay that much now if I hadn't used it already.

I'm a bargain hunter. I won't part with money if I don't have to. However, I'll put more money into something if it's worth. For me, that usually means it will last a long time. $20 to $30 every six months for 10 years is a lot more than what I paid for the one I have now. And that doesn't factor in the future value of cash either.

There's nothing wrong with the exact same model,10 year old keyboard in my closet. It just those two home keys. I thought of ways to remedy that. They didn't work out. If I'd thought of ideas I know of now that would work, I wouldn't have bought a new one.

 

[KGIII]

I assume "mechanical" means wired?

No, it refers to the keys themselves. You're using a membrane keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are different actuators.

Battery?

No, wine. My keyboards are drunkards.

However, I'll put more money into something if it's worth.

"Buy once, cry once."

This is especially true with tools, I find.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

"Buy once, cry once."

This is especially true with tools, I find.

Yup.
I got my grandfathers tools after he passed. Craftsman, Snap On and one of those other big wig brands. At least 60 years old. Still work better than the Stanly ones I paid for.

And Purdy brushes. Definitely worth spending more money on those.

 

[MikeRocor]

I like the clickity clackity too, except late at night when the normal(-ish) members of the household are trying to sleep and I don't want to give the BDE an excuse to bark at me.

Also, FWIW, my coffee pot is not trying to spy on me but I'm pretty sure my brother's coffee pot is trying to slowly poison me. I use one of those Melitta pour-over thingies myself. I find it more satisfying an flexible than the K-cup machines. (and no spyware)

@Sherri is a Cat - re. the key cap nubs on F and J - I think a tiny line of epoxy would restore those. I've never completely worn out the nubs, but sometimes a bit of epoxy finds its way to my caps-lock key for other reasons.

Re. tools - At a garage sale once, I picked up a Craftsman 1/2 inch ratchet drive from a big box of tools and asked the lady how much she wanted for it. She said, "My husband want so sell the whole box of tools together." I was disappointed because I wasn't looking to spend a hundred bucks or so and they were mostly older, name-brand tools and even the toolbox was Craftsman, but asked, "How much for the whole box?" "Oh, give me five dollars." I hope she didn't get in trouble with her husband.

Good tools, even (or especially) ancient ones, are a joy to use while junk tools are, often literally, a pain to use. The same is true of tech tools - keyboard and mouse, for instance, and even software "tools". My text editor is my go-to tool, the hammer for which everything looks like a nail, and I've been using the same one since about 1985 (but with updates).

 

[KGIII]

I've never completely worn out the nubs, but sometimes a bit of epoxy finds its way to my caps-lock key for other reasons.

They'll wear out if you type a lot and keep your keyboard for a long time.

I also wear a dent in my space bar from where my thumb strikes it almost every time. While I touch type and type quickly, I don't use the traditional hand position. So, my right thumb wears a dent into the space bar.

My current batch of keyboards seem to have stronger key caps. I think they'll hold up well.