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    How can you be certain your WebCam is NOT broadcasting?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by vilmosz, Sep 23, 2010.

  1. vilmosz

    vilmosz Notebook Consultant

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    Here's an interesting question: At least I find it interesting. :D

    With the recent news about a high school principal who was snooping on her students via the webcams in their Macs, how can one be certain that one's webcam is not broadcasting? Of course, the obvious answer is to turn off all connections. But, barring that, any thoughts about this concern? Is it realistic?
     
    vilmosz, Sep 23, 2010
    #1
  2. unreal25

    unreal25 Capt. Obvious

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    I think it depends on the laptop, but most that I've seen have that annoying LED that is on when the camera is working.
     
    unreal25, Sep 23, 2010
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  3. AboutThreeFitty

    AboutThreeFitty ~350

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    Fn+(Whatever one turns off your webcam)?

    or

    Disable it in Device Manager?
     
    AboutThreeFitty, Sep 23, 2010
    #3
  4. BinkNR

    BinkNR Knock off all that evil

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    Put a piece of tape over it… ?

    (Don’t use a computer you don’t have full control over/know what software is on it?)
     
    BinkNR, Sep 23, 2010
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  5. LegendaryKA8

    LegendaryKA8 Nutty ThinkPad Guy

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    I'm pretty certain there's an LED indicator on pretty much any ThinkPad that comes equipped with an integrated camera(at least it's on the one I put in my T400, and the P/N's the same for the T61). Any third-party software I've tested it with turns the LED on when it's broadcasting.
     
    LegendaryKA8, Sep 23, 2010
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  6. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    I think the LED is hooked up to the webcam via hardware, so the green light will turn on if the webcam is enabled - there's no way to circumvent it. And at least on my T500, it's a pretty noticeable light, so you would probably realized the webcam is inexplicably on :rolleyes:
     
    MidnightSun, Sep 23, 2010
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  7. halobox

    halobox Notebook Deity

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    WINNER !!! :D
     
    halobox, Sep 24, 2010
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  8. FXi

    FXi Notebook Deity

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    I second the tape maneuver.
     
    FXi, Sep 24, 2010
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