cross-posted from: https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/121053
The problem here is that the led was software controlled which always struck me as more of a bandaid then a solution.
A proper hardware switch solution would mean the led and webcam are wired so if the webcam receives any power the led jumps on. The computer shouldn’t even know that led exists. Not sure how many devices actually do this though.
The tape on cam solution works on video but might still record sound which is in many cases more dangerous for sensitive information.
Of course one also has to wonder how much it matters having typed this on a phone with cam and microphone uncovered and no indicators.
I believe Framework has their webcam LED setup like this. At a minimum the physical switch cuts power to the whole webcam assembly.
That is exactly how the webcam light is setup in a Framework. The light is wired up to the camera sensors power, so whenever the camera has power, so does the light. The switch also fully disconnects it from the computer itself. At least in Linux, you can verify it using lsusb. You can see the camera indicated as Realtek Semiconductor Corp. Laptop Camera. Whenever the switch is flipped though, it disappears all together from the list.
The problem with that is a USB device is powered even if it’s not being used. You can’t communicate with it to identify it as a webcam without powering it. So the light will be on any time it’s plugged in.
The camera module itself can be powered off if properly designed and the led should be powered from the same source.
Yeah, but that’s additional design complexity, and most consumers, given the choice, would pick the cheaper option.
Both android and crapple phones have mic & cam indicators nowadays, tho, and if a piece of software has a level of access high enough to bypass those, you kinda have bigger issues… Also, the webcam receives power by default currently; as the repo mentions, it’s just another USB device (well, it’s 3v3, and not 5v, but it doesn’t really matter here)
IMHO both camera and microphone should have a physical switch disconnecting them.
And you know, the led shouldn’t be fucking firmware controlled!
It’s a really good idea, but to work reliably, it should be HARDWIRED to light up when the cmos is receiving power.
Framework laptops do this- and the switch that kills the camera also slides a shutter over the lens as well.
Oh, mine only seems to physically disconnect the camera and not slide anything in front of the lens. Do you have the 16?
That lens cover also seems unnecessary to me. A physical disconnect for the camera and microphone is a nice touch of Framework’s laptops…
I just use some gaffers tape to cover the camera.
One complaint I have is a lot of laptop manufacturers who do put a camera slider in, paint the slider red when it’s closed and black when it’s open. It should be the opposite. Red is dangerous live.
I fix it just using some enameled nail polish. But it seems opposite of what it should be
That’s not possible, because the sensor is black (or at least very dark).
Most laptops have a physical slider that can mask the camera. But I don’t know of any tablets or phones that offer this feature.
I have a thin stick-on slider for my laptops. It’d look clunky, but you can stick it on any tablet or phone.
Except these days the camera is a hole in the screen in a mobile phone, so you’d be effectively blocking part of the screen too.
That hole in the screen is always black, so covering up the hole (and only the hole) won’t make you miss a thing.
It can’t turn off electrical tape.
