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[ NNSquad ] MacBook webcams vs. spying


MacBook webcams vs. spying

http://j.mp/1dne8bt  (Washington Post)

   "The built-in cameras on Apple computers were designed to prevent this,
    says Stephen Checkoway, a computer science professor at Johns Hopkins
    and a co-author of the study. "Apple went to some amount of effort to
    make sure that the LED would turn on whenever the camera was taking
    images," Checkoway says. The 2008-era Apple products they studied had
    a "hardware interlock" between the camera and the light to ensure that
    the camera couldn't turn on without alerting its owner ..."

 - - -

There is considerable variation in how these hardware/software
interlocks are implemented, and for some it remains impossible to use
the camera without lighting the light. But this is something
manufacturers can fix to always be true -- it's not rocket science. In
fact, protecting yourself from the camera is pretty easy -- just cover
it up when not in use. Integral mics are much harder to protect
against, and really, they also need hardwired activity lights in this
day and age.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren 
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Founder:
 - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org 
 - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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