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Webcams, once optional equipment for PCs, are external cameras attached by USB cables, or they could be built-in on your computer. These micro-cameras are capable of streaming images in real time, producing video streams that can be saved on the computer’s hard drive. Webcam videos can also be sent through the internet as email attachments. Since webcams are СÀ¶ÊÓƵ incorporated into laptops, tablets and other computerized products, these revolutionary devices are becoming common in everyday life. Of course, webcams are unbelievable developments in computer and video technology. But perhaps webcams might be a step too far just as drones have become – but drones are another subject for a different paranoia-driven article.
With most technological advancements, downsides exist, but knowing your own webcam can be turned into a surveillance device from a remote location should be unsettling. Ask Mark Zuckerberg and James Comey about their opinions on webcams. Two years ago, Zuckerberg was photographed in a promotional Facebook post for Instagram. In this post, viewers noted the tape stuck over Zuckerberg’s laptop webcam in the background. James Comey famously told the participants at a conference in Washington, D.C. that it was sensible to paste tape over your webcam to keep peering eyes out. Russians, I’m guessing.      
Even if you aren’t an ex-FBI director, or a social media magnate, you still should be concerned about hacked webcams. There are stories from many people who have had their webcams switched on and off without user input. A teenager on YouTube describes her hacked webcam experience – this occurred after she clicked onto link containing a free song download. The quality of the download was good, but an hour later, the user noticed her webcam had turned on by itself. The next day, her computer returned to normal mode for much of the day, until the webcam switched on, tabs on Google opened and closed, iTunes switched on then off and pop-ups kept appearing. She tried to shut her computer down, however someone within the internet universe had taken control over her mouse. She tried to solve the issue by typing the name of the pop-up into her computer. She searched her files, deleting the pop-up’s name whenever the moniker showed in her system. She thought she had solved this problem, but the webcam turned back on independently a few days later. She responded this time by deleting every suspicious file, especially files containing .exe. For more on this story, visit JazzRose’s story about webcams published on YouTube in January 2016. (https://youtu.be/WGkblPf-XpI)
Webcam spying is a genuine concern – a creepy setback brought to you through improved technology. Amazon, Staples, Walmart and other retailers are selling products designed to cover webcams. Wikileaks warned us about smartphones, smart televisions and webcams and other related technologies, claiming the CIA might use these items to spy on you. However, there are many hackers and technological-savvy voyeurs who also know a thing or two about webcams and related devices. Are there any preventative measures to protect computers before webcam hackers can introduce their evil schemes? Kevin Haley, director of security response at Norton by Symantec, advises users to keep their operating systems up-to-date. Always employ effective, anti-viral security software. Never click onto links or attachments sent by email or through social media, unless you trust either the sender or originator. And if you’re keen about obscuring up the webcam with tape, use painter’s tape instead of duct tape – painter’s tape leaves less residue behind.