A sliding webcam cover might be the single most essential attribute to protect the privacy of individuals, employees, and employers. Indeed, it’s no secret that there is a growing consensus in the business world that employees should be able to work remote. More and more people work from the convenience of their home, or while sipping on their coffee in a coffee shop.
Working remotely comes with many conveniences. Especially with meeting software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet, it is easier than ever before. However, this also means that your webcam should be uncovered. Or, uncovered at the times you have a meeting. This has an effect on your privacy, and definitely makes the expectation of privacy a bit murky.
The sliding webcam cover is a vital tool to cherish your privacy while working remote.
You might have encountered it with colleagues or friends, or you’re even doing it yourself: covering your webcam. Not only them, but the greatest experts on technology do it themselves. Think for example about Mark Zuckerberg. The same goes for the FBI’s director, James Comey. Not particularly people who have no idea what they’re doing.
Sure, people like the boss of Facebook or the director of the FBI might have higher security threats than the average person has. Still, installing backdoors on compromised computers is a common way for some hackers to occupy their time.
This was already affirmed all the way back in 2013, when Ars Technica uncovered a site called Hack Forums. It contains threads full of people comparing and trading images of “slaves”, people whose computers they have broken into and taken control of. When targeting individuals, it’s a recurring story that hackers blackmail the people of which they gathered video material after breaking into their cameras.
Not only hackers will break into cameras. Edward Snowden revealed with a series of leaks that intelligence agencies have developed means to monitor computer webcams. That is, without notifying the user. This was not just a one time finding, since it was confirmed by the intelligence agencies themselves.
So, why would hackers specifically target someone? Most of the time, they actually don’t. That is to say, hackers do not have to directly hack an individual laptop or computer.
A way which is more convenient is through being embedded in a certain application. Each time you give an app permission to use your camera, you put your privacy in the hands of whatever company manages that app. That company may have excellent security protecting its data from outside hackers, or it may not. The app itself could be dressed-up malware designed to spy on its users. Therefore, applications are also a risk for hacking a webcam.
But, one might still wonder why it is important for a business that anybody within the business should cover their webcam. “By leaving your webcam uncovered, you are essentially placing a surveillance camera into your home,” says Jake Moore, cybersecurity specialist at ESET. “Ever since the webcam was invented, attackers have targeted it but over the years this attack has become more sinister in its use in extortion.”
The data gathered through the webcam might, thus, be used to blackmail employees. That brings a dilemma to employers: on the one hand you want your employees to be available while having a video meeting, while on the other hand you want to cherish their privacy. After all, blackmailing can be used to force the employees to share valuable information of any company.
To have the best of both worlds, the sliding webcam cover is the best solution for businesses. When meeting, it can be opened. When the meeting is done, it can be closed.
One might think that a post-it will do, but that is very much the question. For one, because it’s not good for the health of the webcam. Secondly, the glue on the post-its will also make the webcam of the employees blurry if not cleaned properly. Since physical contact is already minimized, a clear video connection is the least that should be established for building good relationships.
Cherishing a good relationship with employees can be done by occasionally gifting something. Think, for example, about the gifts during the Christmas holiday season. What better to give than something that is both of value for the employees as the company?
Spy-Fy offers custom webcam covers in three different sizes. The sliding webcam covers can be customized in the ‘Air’ model, which will fit any device and can easily be attached to the laptop or computer. The ‘Oval’ model is a bit smoother, as well as a bit smaller. The ‘Small’ model is, however, the smallest of the three and can be attached to smaller cameras.
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