My teacher wife and a bunch of the folks she knows (non-nerds) cover their webca...

mthoms · on April 3, 2020

The problem is, as soon as security expert "Barbara from Facebook" posts something about the NSA still watching you because the switches don't really do anything you're back at square one. :)

RankingMember · on April 3, 2020

Not for mics, but you can essentially add the equivalent of a webcam kill switch with something simple like this: https://www.amazon.com/C-Slide-Sliding-Computers-Chromebooks...

kevindong · on April 3, 2020

My company's IT department has said in passing that they've had many cases of laptop screens being cracked by those sliding webcam obscurers.

reaperducer · on April 3, 2020

I think you're overstating your position.

If all of those people had to flip a hardware switch every time they wanted to use their phones, they'd complain about it.

karatestomp · on April 3, 2020

Not phones, but for tablets and laptops I think a lot more than just privacy geeks would like a way to know for sure they won’t accidentally transmit video or audio, and would put up with a little annoyance for the peace of mind.

folmar · on April 3, 2020

On a laptop it may often be once in a lifetime.

reaperducer · on April 3, 2020

Depends on your laptop. My Mac laptops ring when someone calls my phone in another room.