We all lock our doors and close the shades on our windows, because we cherish our privacy, but what do we do to protect ourselves when we use our computer? Most common answer is: not much! It doesn’t take a genius to hack into your phone or computer so we should do more to protect ourselves. And one of the ways someone can spy on you is through the web camera. Maybe you are thinking: but who am I? Why would anybody spy on me? The answer is: because they can!
Here are some things you can do to protect yourself:
Use the latest antivirus programs
It’s true that antivirus programmes won’t detect all the threats that are out there, but at least they will protect you from possibility of infection through the link or running the wrong executable. And if your antivirus is up to date, there is a high chance it will protect you against a lot of threats, just not against the newest ones.
Unplug it
If you have external USB webcam, the easiest solution is to unplug it when you are not using it. No hacker in the world can bypass that protection! You just have to remember to do that every time you stop using it. Just unplug it and hang the cord next to the web cam so that you always remember – if you don’t see the cord, you forgot to unplug the webcam. This is the most foolproof way and it works with every external webcam on every operating system.
Disable it in the BIOS
This solution is not for everyone. If you need a dog to find the letters while you’re typing, skip this one, because BIOS is not something you can play with. But if you feel up to the task, when you reboot your computer, enter BIOS and look for the entry labeled »webcam«, »integrated camera« or something like that. Disable that option and you are safe from spying. Your computer maybe doesn’t have that option so don’t feel bad if you can’t find it. We still have two more solutions for you.
Disable it in the OS
If you can’t disable webcam in your BIOS you can disable it or you can remove driver support for it in your operating system. The technique varies from operating system to operating system but find Device manager or something like that on your computer. Once you found it find »webcam« or »imaging devices« and either disable or uninstall it. But this solution is not the best if you want to use your webcam regularly so we have an elegant solution for you.
Privise
Privise is the most elegant way to protect your online-privacy. It’s a plastic webcam cover you can remove or install in a split of a second. It’s easy and effective, it’s ultra thin and it was built to last. It is a really effective technique because you get instant visual confirmation that your webcam is disabled.
So it’s up to you to decide which of this solutions is right for you, just remember: if you don’t protect yourself, someone may be watching you. You can get your Privise Webcam Cover on www.privise.io.
