During the last decade, producers of electronic goods worked hard on an improvement of their products. They installed cameras of higher quality in the technics that we use almost every day
However, one could notice that nowadays market is filled with special stickers and plastic which are intended to close the front camera of various devices such as phones, laptops, and even TV-sets. Why did such products appear on the market?
For many years, researchers of computer technologies warn that hackers and attackers can get images from the cameras without the knowledge of users and to track people at the distance. And laptops, tablets and TV-sets «see» the great part of your personal life!
Not so long time ago, the FBI director James Comey made a sensational confession: “I glued the camera with a special tape because I saw how other people who are more clever and experienced than me did so.”
That’s why the companies that produce such covers and tapes for web-cameras call their products “the top-selling on the modern market.”
Those who are aware of the fact that the Internet constantly follows you are already used to closing their cameras. This is the first safety rule if you don’t want your personal life become available for all Internet users.
Eva Galperin, analytic from Electronic Frontier Foundation, told journalists that she always closes camera on her laptop since she bought the new MacBook Pro in 2007.
Electronic Frontier Foundation started to print their tapes for web-cameras in 2013. They sell and give out the camera stickers which say the following: “These removable stickers is the technology of anti-tracking which is impossible to hack.”
The spokesperson of the organization told that people constantly purchase these devices.
The fear of web-cameras found the way into the modern society long time ago. For example, in the trailer of the new biographical movie about the CIA agent «Snowden», the main character looks with worries at the camera of his laptop during the intimacy with his girlfriend.
Why everyone is so much afraid of cameras? Are there real foundations for such fear?
It turned out that this is not paranoia and not science fiction. In 2013, the group of researchers proved that it is easy to activate the camera of Macbook unnoticeable for its owner. Even the green light will not light up.
Family couple from the USA claimed that hacker posted on the Internet their intimate home video which he received after hacking into their smart-TV. FBI and other organizations are well-aware about the ways of using the laptop camera for following users!
Many earn lots of money on this!
The CamPatch company claims itself to be the most successful organization among other producers of protection tapes for web-cameras. CamPatch was founded in 2013 after their founders watched the public speaking of experts of Pentagon cybersecurity. They said that web-cameras are the new “attack vector.”
The front office of CamPatch doesn’t reveal its financial information but they did claim that received
“six-figured incomes for the last few years” after selling only 250.000 stickers. And this taking into account the fact that the company sells its production for quite affordable prices (for 2.79$).
Only careless people for don’t know about danger don’t use the protective tapes yet!
With the development of modern services, there are more and more new ways of following users appearing!
The smart dynamic Echo from the company Amazon.com that can listen to the commands of its owners became very popular after release. Google is also going to launch the similar product named Google Home.
This year, in February, the director of National Intelligence of the USA James Clapper admitted that the so-called “Internet of things” can be used “for identification, tracking, monitoring, following of location and orientation for employment or for getting an access to the network or account data of a user.”
Are you already using the protective tape for cameras on your devices?
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the comment writers alone and does not reflect or represent the views of Victor Duru
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