How paranoid should I be? i have a bandaid over the camera and mic of my lap top. Is this crazy?

[riptides]

You guys ever read or heard of George Orwell's book "1984"

Except it's PRIVATE industry leading the way.

 

[Hay Dude]

Except it's PRIVATE industry leading the way.

LOL
and private industry isn’t in bed with government?
Covid vaccine? Zuckerberg drop boxes? Toll roads?

 

[bdhsfz6]

I don't think it's being paranoid. I close the lid on my laptop and turn the camera on my desktop toward the wall when I'm not using them.

IMO, you give up more privacy by doing internet searches rather than through cameras & microphones.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

The way I look at it. If they hack the camera on my computer 99.8% of the time all they would see is my face and the wall behind me. Not very interesting. I just don't see what someone would have to gain by hacking my camera. I hear ya on the mic thing, I have had some interesting ads pop up as well. But it would be pretty hard to block the mic on your phone, which is a lot of where that comes from. It's a new world order, for better or worse. Not much we can do about it.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

And yet your on the internet.

LMAO.

Yep I am, but when I turn it off, I'm off the air and don't exist. I disappear.

 

[Birdhunter1]

There is a movie out called "Snowden.'
Yes I realize it is probably alot of hype and who knows what is truthful about Edward Snowden, but I have no reason to doubt most of what is in the movie.
I remember when "Enemy of the State' came out in the late 90's and alot of people thought 'that can't happen that easy and that quick.' Within three years that technology was rather commonplace and easily obtained by alphabet acronym regimes.

 

[Dftodd]

The way I look at it. If they hack the camera on my computer 99.8% of the time all they would see is my face and the wall behind me. Not very interesting. I just don't see what someone would have to gain by hacking my camera. I hear ya on the mic thing, I have had some interesting ads pop up as well. But it would be pretty hard to block the mic on your phone, which is a lot of where that comes from. It's a new world order, for better or worse. Not much we can do about it.

They can hack the camera all they want. I'm not sure someone would be all that interested in pictures of a 46yo fat ba$$ard.

There is a piece of electrical tape over the camera on my wifes new laptop. Lap top is shut down most of the time and rarely gets used.

Piece of tape over the camera on my tablet as well. I never use the tablet for pictures or video anyway.

Just e-books and bill pay.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

It’s a little bit crazy. I have been writing code and building computer systems for over 30 years. The only reason to cover the camera is in case YOU accidentally shared your video. Contrary to popular misconception your phone isn’t listening to your conversations. If you get an ad for something you were talking about it’s because you sent or got an email with that subject (Google does scan your email to target ads). Also, if you communicate regularly with someone on social media or you message with them and THEY look up an item or search a term, or buy something on-line then the ad engines are likely to show you an ad for that, because they assume that you will have common interests.

 

[lman]

I guess I'm missing out. I use an ad blocker on my browser and see no ads so if somebody is sending me ads, I don't know it.

 

[sea2summit]

The way I look at it. If they hack the camera on my computer 99.8% of the time all they would see is my face and the wall behind me. Not very interesting. I just don't see what someone would have to gain by hacking my camera. I hear ya on the mic thing, I have had some interesting ads pop up as well. But it would be pretty hard to block the mic on your phone, which is a lot of where that comes from. It's a new world order, for better or worse. Not much we can do about it.

Nothing much except key strokes for passwords, everything you're talking about, whether you're home or not, etc.