Last week, I went to an OCS event and got a free webcam cover (name??) that slides open and close. Rather than taping and untaping the tiny camera, people can now save tape and use this little contraption. There was not much information on the packaging but it basically warned people to be mindful of their privacy, and that was somehow related to the USA show Mr. Robot. People have been throwing out the idea of covering device cameras for a while, without any real verification. When we were given laptops in middle school, people started to do so because it was rumored that someone could hack into their computer and view them through their webcam. Since then, I have seen random others tape their cameras for peace of mind. I still do not know how real this threat is, or if the breach of privacy they show on ABC’s Revenge is supposed to scare me or make me realize that no one would want to hack me anyway. Seeing these webcam covers produced partially validated this paranoia and highlighted the power of design. Webcam covers are not exactly a notable design problem, yet someone came up with a solution. They may soon enough become the norm, just like the adhesive phone pocket.
